Evil Is As Evil Does
by lovesbitch4spike
Summary: The first fanfic I ever wrote. I complete my ideal version of season six, begining with the events immediately following Wrecked. B/S, with splashed of some other couples. Cross overs with Angel and visits from former scoobies.
1. Picking Up The Pieces

Picking Up The Pieces

A Buffy/Spike fanfic by Julie Brydon

Disclaimer: I didn't create any of these characters. I'm merely borrowing from the genius of Joss Whedon. Don't worry, I promise to treat them well.

Spoiler alerts: This takes place directly after 'Wrecked' and contains spoilers up through season six.

Willow lay in her bed, feeling miserable. The cold sweats had passed, but the nausea and intense headache remained. Mere over the counter pain pills would do little to help her now, as if she could keep them down anyway. Her head throbbed, as if someone were inside and in the process of drilling their way out.

"Just one little spell," she told herself, "To take the edge off the pain."

She focused her attention on a candle that sat on her dresser. "Fait lux," she whispered at it, and it lit, giving off the faint scent of mulberry. Her pain in her head lowered to a dull thud, and she breathed a deep sigh of relief. "But that's the last spell." She promised. "The very last one."

* * *

Buffy was bent over the oven in the kitchen, cursing under her breath. She had made some cinnamon rolls for Dawn, the separate and bake kind of course. She'd never been big on the cooking and baking, and as a result her pastries were rather burnt. So much for her master chef idea. Oh well, she figured, the frosting would cover it.

Buffy had made a personal vow to be more nurturing and domestic since the incident with Willow and that reckless night with Spike that she didn't even want to think about, and as a result thought about every other second. It was bad enough that her little sister was growing up without a mother, she shouldn't be growing up without a proper guardian as well.

Buffy applied liberal amounts of frosting to the cinnamon rolls and placed them on the table in front of her sister. "There you go Dawnie, home cooked food just like Mom used to make. With a little help from Pillsbury of course. Can I get you some juice or anything?"

"No that's ok, this is great." Dawn had been cleaned up and taken care of, but still looked a little worse for the wear. Her arm was in a cast, and the scratch on her cheek was still fresh. But the ailments did little to diminish the girl's beauty. Dawn took a roll and bit into it. She made a slight face.

"Buffy, these are great. But are they supposed to be, you know, crunchy?"

Buffy sat down in a huff. "I'm sorry, I tried. I'm afraid that I'm not much good with anything that doesn't involve a large array of weaponry."

"Don't be so down on yourself. You have saved the world from apocalypse quite a few times. You do your part."

"I suppose so. So whadda you say we swing by Mickey D's and get some Egg Mc Muffins?"

"Nah, cereal is fine. But you pour." Dawn gestured to her injured arm. Buffy prepared a bowl of lucky charms.

"So," Buffy ventured, "How do you feel?"

"Pretty OK actually, the pain pills kicked in finally." She giggled mischievously, "Thank God for viccodin!"

"You better watch it. We don't need another addict in this house." As soon as the words had left her mouth Buffy regretted them. The painful reminder of Willow's problem quieted both of them. It would be a long time before Buffy fully forgave Willow for putting Dawn's life in danger. It would be longer still, she sensed, before Dawn forgave her. There were going to be tense feelings around the house for a while. Buffy made herself her own bowl of cereal, and the two of them ate a while in silence. 

Willow came down stairs. She had showered and changed, but the dark circles under her eyes attested to her difficult night. "Wow Buffy," she said, glancing at the barely touched cinnamon rolls, "You baked."

"I tried."

Willow took a bite of one. "Cajun style I see. A new approach to an old classic. I like it," Willow told her. However, she didn't attempt to eat any more of it.

"Um, Buffy. I'm gonna go watch some TV in the other room, alright?" Dawn asked. Buffy nodded. Dawn left the room without so much as a glance at Willow.

Willow watched her leave, her brow furrowed with concern. "She's still mad. I don't blame her. The way she looked at me . . . I just wish I could get her trust back again. I don't deserve it, but—"

"Just give her time," Buffy told her. "This is hard for her too."

"I know."

Buffy took on a more serious tone. "How are you Will? I know you had a rough night." Willow gave her a questioning look. "I heard you tossing and turning. I couldn't sleep either. I had a lot on my mind."

"Last night was awful, but I feel a little bit better now. I've still got a bad headache, but I'll live." She gave a weak smile.

"I'm proud of you, giving up magic. It'll be hard I know, but in the long run it's worth it."

"Yeah." Willow avoided her eyes. "It's good to know it'll soon be over."

* * *

Xander sat in the Magic Box, fiddling with Willow's computer. It had been an unspoken agreement that Willow should be left unbothered in the research department until she felt s little better. Xander had taken it upon himself to attempt his own hacker action. The screen lit up, with the telltale "bing," and the computer began to boot up.

"I figured out how to turn it on!" he said excitedly.

"That's nice honey," Anya said, briefly looking up from her bridal magazines. "It only took you an hour." She'd completely given up on trying to find the frost monster, pointing out that they'd likely figure out it's identity when it eventually got around to attacking them all or ending the world. Xander, however, was still optimistic.

"Create a screen name," he mumbled, "Whadda you think of XanMan?"

"Adorable, in a very nerdy way."

"It's taken. Who'd take a screen name like XanMan, except me of course? This one works, Zeppo. Now I just need to pick the access numbers." He fiddled with the computer.

"Welcome." The computer told him.

After about five minutes of searching, Xander said, "Got it."

"Our numerous hours of pouring through painfully dull books and Willow's expert hacking skills have turned up nothing, yet you're telling me you've just discovered the villain after your very first moments on that machine? I highly doubt it."

"No, it makes perfect sense. I don't know why I didn't think of it sooner. Mr. Freeze!"

"Isn't that an ice cream chain?"

"No, that's Foster's freeze. Mr. Freeze is a comic book character. Do you remember that movie we watched, 'Batman Forever?'"

"I try not to."

"Don't we all. But Arnold Schwarzenegger played him. He froze people with a freeze ray that he powered with diamonds. It all fits."

"You're right, that does make sense." " Anya rolled her eyes at him and went back to her magazine.

"Fairytale characters can be real, vampires and demon's are real, witches are real, so why can't comic book characters be real?" he protested.

"Of course, but superheroes and supervillians?"

"What do you call the slayer? And how about the Master, the Mayor, and Glory?" he pointed out.

"I get the picture. Okay honey, say for a moment that this Dr. Freeze guy is real."

"Mr. Freeze, I'm pretty sure he didn't make it through medical school."

"Whatever. How would we stop him? Should we shine a bat signal in the air and start playing the theme music and hope a Batman and Robin come to save the day?"

"Well," Xander considered the idea, "It's worth a shot."

* * *

Sundown had fallen, and Buffy was debating whether or not to go out and patrol. Evil never really took a day off, not even when it was supposed to like Halloween. In fact, it tended to get worse at the times she herself most needed a break. Still, Buffy didn't really want to leave Dawn or Willow alone, and certainly not the two of them together. She also knew going out would most likely result in her running into Spike and she just wasn't sure she could deal with that on top of everything else. She vowed to put him from her mind, and least for a while. There was a knock at the door. With a sigh, Buffy went to answer it. Perhaps Xander and Anya had come by and she could get them to help her out. She opened the door.

Spike stood in the doorway. He was holding a large bouquet of roses. So much for her vow.

"Pathetic much?" she asked.

"Don't go getting all googly-eyed on me luv. These aren't for you, they're for Dawn." He told her. "You know the whole world doesn't always revolve around you."

That stung, but she didn't let it show. "Your invitation hasn't been revoked, you know. You don't have to knock."

"I was trying to be polite. Incase you haven't noticed –" but Buffy never heard the end of his sentence. It was cut off by Dawn bounding through the door, to give Spike a big, one armed hug."

"Spike!" she said enthusiastically. "Did you come by to see me?"

"I did at that." He told her, tousling her hair with his free hand. "These are for you Nibblet." 

He handed her the roses, which she accepted with glee. "Really? No boy has ever brought me flowers before. Not that you're really a boy, being all undead and over a century old and all."

"Well I figured you were too big for stuffed animals. I wasn't sure what kind of flowers you liked. So I thought 'roses are always a classic.'"

"I love them. They're beautiful."

Buffy watched their interaction, worried. Dawn was clearly still infatuated with Spike, and that troubled Buffy more than ever, in light of her recent romantic interactions with him, whatever they really were anyway.

"So how'ya feeling Lil' Bit?" he asked her.

"Better," she told him, "The heavy medications have helped."

"Do you feel up to a game of cards?" Spike asked.

Buffy jumped in, irritated. "Brilliant plan Spike. She has an arm in a cast."

"So I guess I'll probably win." Spike gave Buffy a grin that both irritated her and made her knees go weak at the same time. This is just a crush, she told herself, a sick, illogical crush and it is going to go away any day now. She didn't really believe it, but it was the only thing keeping her sane.

"Yeah, cards would be great," Dawn chimed in. 

"Cards it is! That is, if big Sis doesn't object?"

Buffy grabbed the flowers from Dawn. "I'll just go put these in water so they don't get dried out." She stalked out of the room and into the kitchen.

"Who does he think he is?" Buffy mumbled under her breath as she found a large vase in the cupboard and began to fill it with water.

"What's the matter?" Willow asked. She was sitting at the table sipping tea and reading a magazine. Buffy hadn't even noticed she was there.

"It's just Spike. He stopped over with some flowers for Dawn."

"Oh. I thought I heard him come in. That's kinda sweet of him."

"It is not sweet. It's weird. He's supposed to be all evil, and then he comes and brings flowers. He's messing with my mind, our minds, trying to make us think that he's harmless. But he's not harmless, except for the fact that he can't . . . "

"Harm any of us?" Willow finished for her.

"Exactly." Buffy felt somewhat foolish. "I just don't like the idea of him and Dawn becoming too friendly. He might get rid of that chip someday, and I don't want to have to explain to my baby sister why I had to dust her buddy."

"You still stand a good chance of having to explain that sooner or later regardless of Spike. This is Sunnydale."

"I know, I know." She let a slight smile creep upon her face. "That was pretty sweet of him to stop by wasn't it." As soon as the smile had appeared, it once again vanished. "What am I saying, this is *Spike* we're talking about. He probably just stole these off somebody's grave anyway."

"Um Buffy," Willow ventured, "Did something happen between you two?"

Was it that obvious? "No, nothing. Nothing has happened. Absolutely nothing. Why do you ask?"

Willow was taken aback by the sharpness of Buffy's response. She had obviously hit a nerve. She decided not to press the issue. "I don't know. You've just been fighting so much lately. I thought maybe he'd said something really mean or something. Apparently not." 

"Look, I need to get out of here. You know, do my part to keep the vampire population down. I'm getting itchy for some slayage. Are you going to be alright here?"

"Yeah, fine. Hey, maybe I should come with? I haven't been patrolling with you for a long time." Willow stood up, and sat immediately down again. "On second thought, maybe not. I'm still a little queasy. I think I'll just stay here and keep an eye on Spike and Dawn. I'll make sure he doesn't go all grr face or smoke in front of her or anything."

"Thanks Will." On an impulse, Buffy gave her a quick hug. It would be good to have the old Willow back. Maybe after the magic thing had blown over she would tell her about the whole ridiculous Spike affair. No, NOT affair, incident. Under the strictest secrecy of course.

Back in the living room, Dawn and Spike were playing cards.

"Got any eights?" she asked him.

"Nah. Go fish." Spike drew her card for her, since her good hand was already full. As he drew it he slyly looked at it, noticing it was the three of clubs. "Got any threes?"

Dawn giggled as he took the card back, laying his quartet on threes down. "Cheater."

"It's only cheating if you get caught."

"And I just caught you."

"Right then. Guilty as charged."

"It's nice, having you around," Dawn confessed. "It seems like you never come by anymore."

"Well, I've been busy. With frost monsters freezing people, vampires, demons, and Lil' Bits getting kidnapped it's been a rough year. I suppose I sometimes get distracted."

"So it's not because of Buffy?"

Spike gave her a speculative look. Was the girl onto something? He hadn't said a work about the kisses and . . . all the rest to anyone. He didn't particularly want to get dusted at this point in his unlife. Not that Buffy could necessarily take him. He was no slouch in a fight. Then again he hadn't fought humans for a long time and they had different moves then vamps, especially slayers. "What exactly do you mean by that? Did –- did Buffy say something?"

"Not really, it's just that you always bicker so much. I thought maybe you were avoiding her."

Spike laid down his cards. The game was clearly over. "If anyone is doing the avoiding it's Buffy, not me."

"You know, she may talk big and tough and insulty, but I think deep down she really likes you."

Spike leaned closer. "Really? What makes you say that?"

"I just have a feeling. It's like a sixth sense, a sister sense. Well, that and the fact she never staked you."

"No. Not yet anyway."

Willow walked in. Spike glanced at Dawn who had grown very quiet. He didn't blame Dawn for being angry, but he couldn't help still liking Red.

"I just thought I'd let you know that Buffy's out patrolling." The silence was defining. "So, I'll just be up in my room, if you need anything."

"Thanks Red. We're fine." Spike told her.

Willow looked at Dawn who sat silently in turn, looking at the wall. "Well then," she told them, visibly hurt by Dawn's lack of response. "I'll just go."

"Go on, I'll watch the Bit."

After Willow was up the stairs, Dawn turned to Spike, and pushed him playfully in the chest with her good hand. "You'll watch me, huh?"  
"Just didn't want the little witch worrying. Not that she's a witch anymore. Don't give me that look, I didn't mean it that way."

"I don't want to talk about her."

"Then we won't talk about her. Problem solved."

Dawn hesitated for a moment, "Spike, can I ask you something?"

As long as it wasn't about if her Sis and he had shagged. "Yeah, ask away."

"Well, do you think I'm pretty?"

"What?" Spike felt immensely relieved and immensely confused. "Of course you're pretty. You're growing into an absolutely beautiful young lady. Why do you ask? Because if someone told you otherwise I'd gladly smack them upside the head, chip or no."

"No, nothing like that. It's just the boys at school never really notice me. Ever. And the one guy who did like me, I had to dust."

"That the vamp you were off snogging this Halloween?" he asked her. 

Dawn nodded. "I still think about him. A lot. He was really nice, except for the whole wanting to bite me and turn me evil thing. I thought about letting him at the time. Does that make me a bad person?"

"Nah, Bit, just means you're mortal. Can you help it if us vamps are the only ones smart enough to appreciate a good woman?"

"I guess not."

"Now I want you to listen to me Nibblet. Teenage boys are idiots, all of them. Sooner or later they'll grow up, and at least one of them will have the good sense to fancy you. You'll see."

"I don't know. I kinda like you."

"Me?!" Spike was once more on unfamiliar ground.

"Well, I know I'm only fifteen, but–-"

"Look, I'm very flattered, and I would be the luckiest vamp in the world, but Buffy would stake me if I even let the idea cross my mind."

"Why should Buffy care? Not as if she even notices anything I do."

"Oh believe me, she'd care." Boy would she, he thought.

"You're just saying that cuz you're in love with her."

"Yeah, I guess I am. But you could so a lot better than me. You should do a lot better than me. I'm no good. I've got horrible habits like smoking and blood drinking, I get the world's worst sunburns and you're friends would all laugh at your old geezer of a boyfriend." Dawn started giggling at that, lifting Spike's spirit somewhat. "You should find yourself a nice mortal, or failing that maybe a werewolf. Leave the vamps to the other dark forces in the night, alright?"

"Alright." She smiled at him. Suddenly a look of worry crossed her face. "You're not going to weird out on me and never see me again, are you?"

"Of course not. Don't be silly. Does it bother you, my being in love with Buffy?"

"No. Well, maybe a little, but it's not exactly your fault. You can't help who you like."

"That you can't, I'm afraid. So we're good then. We're still . . ."

"Friends?"

"Most definitely."

"You won't tell Buffy any of the stuff I said, about vamps and all. It would probably just freak her out."

"I wouldn't dream of mentioning it." He gave her a big grin and mussed her hair some more. "Go fish is for wimps. What do you say we do some crazy eights?"

* * *

Xander was cutting black construction paper. After he fashioned the paper to his liking he taped it onto the end of a flashlight. "There, done," he said, holding up his makeshift bat signal and showing it to Anya.

"A flashlight? How close is this Batman guy? Because it'd work if he were, say, next door."

"I see your point. So we need to find a bigger light."

"A much bigger light."

"And either a lot of construction paper or a lot of black paint."

* * *

Buffy was in the graveyard, pounding on a vamp.

"I mean, one minute he's the big bad, and the next minute he's all 'here have some flowers.' Where" kick "does" kick "he" punch "get" smack "off!" She flipped the vamp onto the ground and plunged the stake into his heart.

"Never fight a slayer with boy trouble," the vamp grumbled, and then burst into dust.

Buffy felt slightly better. She surveyed the graveyard, looking for more demons to destroy. Spotting none, she decided to head home. Hopefully Spike was gone, and if not it was high time Dawn went to bed. She was healing and needed her sleep.

She entered the house only to find Spike and Dawn laughing over cards.

"You guys still up?" she asked.

"Yeah, just playing around," Spike said. He felt immediately uncomfortable under Buffy's disapproving stare. 

"Look Buffy, Spike signed my cast." Dawn got up to show Buffy. Next to his signature was a smiley face with pointed fangs. "It's a little vampire smiley face. Cute, huh?"

"Adorable," Buffy didn't sound impressed.

Spike cleared his throat. "Well, you're back now, so I guess I'll be going." He took a blind stab at small talk. "So how went the slaying? Did you dust many of my friends tonight?"

"You have friends?" she replied dryly.

"Right then. I'll take that as a no. Good night Nibblet."

"Good night Spike." Dawn called after him. He left with one last backward glance towards Buffy.

"You know, you could be nicer to him Buffy."

"We are *so* not having this conversation right now." Buffy replied. "Take your medication and go to bed."

"I will not just shut up and go to bed like a little kid. Don't think I can't see what's going on."

Buffy had a feeling she might be performing another staking in a moment. If he had told her anything, he was a dead man, or rather dead vamp. "And what exactly is it you think is going on?"

"Spike worships the ground you walk on and you treat him like dirt. It isn't right. Even is he's a vampire he does deserve a certain amount of respect."

"Why, because he has a chip that keeps him from killing humans?"

"No, because he's my friend." And with that, Dawn headed up to bed. 

That really got to her. Buffy went into the kitchen, sat down and began to cry.


	2. Cold Turkey

Cold Turkey

It was a typical Christmas Eve's Eve in Sunnydale.

Spike stood in his lair, decorating a medium sized Christmas tree he had swiped from the lot. He didn't feel bad about the theft, for the tree was already turning brown on the edges and wouldn't have been sold anyway. As he decorated, he began singing to himself to the tune of the song "Happiness."

"Happiness is—

Killing a slayer,

Buff when I lay her,

A 'Sweet' mood-setting demon who sings.

Happiness is—

A house that falls to bits,

Apocalypse,

A jumbo plate of buffalo wings!"

He was abruptly cut off by Buffy, who had come in sometime during the last stanza.

"You're singing and decorating a Christmas tree?" She looked absolutely appalled. "This just keeps getting weirder and weirder."

"Not like you've never heard me sing before, or vice versa." Spike retorted. "If you must know I was watching 'You're a Good Man Charlie Brown' on the telly and couldn't get the tune outta my head."

"Somehow I remembered the song going a little differently."

"Just personalized it is all. I am a poet. You wanna help me with this tree?"

Buffy picked up an ornament. They seemed perfectly normal, all round and shiny in red and green. She hooked it on a branch.

"Do vampires even celebrate Christmas?" she asked.

"This one does. I've always liked the holidays. The cheer, the festivity, the vulnerable late night shoppers," he paused as Buffy shot him a dirty look, "that I would *never* think of feeding on. The mistletoe . . ." he added suggestively.

Buffy became suddenly very interested in the decorating process.

"What brings you to my humble abode anyway, Slayer?" he asked. "Lil' Bit can't be in danger or you would have been out with it already."

"I just wanted to say thank you for looking out for Dawn. She's right, I don't always treat you fairly. But it isn't just me, you throw your share of punches my way too."

"She talked to you about me?"

"A little."

"Silly meddling Bit," he said with a grin.

"So, if you want to come over and visit her, I won't interfere. But if you harm her you're dust. I will stake first and ask questions later, understood?"

"I read you loud and clear, Pet." Spike felt disappointed. So this was all about Dawn, was it?

Buffy turned to leave.

"Buffy wait!" Spike said. He scrambled to block her. "Before you go, I got you something." He handed her a small, wrapped package. "I know it's a not quite Christmas yet, but if you want to open it now I won't stop you." He shoved his hands nervously in his pockets, awaiting her response.

Buffy gave him a quizzical look and then opened the package. Inside was a small turquoise pendant on a silver chain.

"It isn't cursed or enchanted or anything. I checked it out." He explained. "And I know what you're thinking and I didn't steal it. I do have some money leftover from my bribery days, you know."

"It's beautiful," Buffy said, genuinely touched. She undid the clasp and fastened it around her neck. "Thank you Spike." She leaned in and gave him a soft kiss on the lips, which startled the Hell out of him.

Spike tried to keep his cool. "No problem Luv." He made a mental note to himself that Buffy was fond of jewelry. Poetry never had gone over this well.

"Look, we're having a big Christmas get together. Willow's convinced that she can cook up an old-fashioned dinner, and she seems so determined that I'm not going to stop her. The whole Scooby Gang will be there, and you've fought with us and everything so if you wanted to come . . ."

Spikes face lit up. "You're asking me to dinner?"

Buffy got all flustered. "This is NOT a date. I have a strict 'no vampire' clause in my personal dating policy. I'm asking you merely as a—"

"Friend?"

"An associate."

"Breaking out the big words I see."

"Besides, it'd be nice for Dawn if you were there. She obviously thinks highly of you. No blood at the table though."

"Will there be nog?"

"Nog?"

"You know, eggnog. I love a good nog."

"Yes, Spike. There will be eggnog." He never ceased to amaze her.

"Wonderful, I'll swing by then." Spike chuckled to himself. In his mind this was most *definitely* a date.

"Well, I really should get to patrolling then," Buffy told him. "Lots of 'your friends,' as you call them, to be dusted."

"You sure you don't want to stick around. I was just about to go into a rousing rendition of 'Deck the Halls With Your Enemies Intestines.'"

"Um, no thanks. I think I'll pass."

"Suit yourself."

Buffy stalked out into the night, and Spike turned his attention back to his tree.

"Deck the halls with your enemies intestines,

Fa-la-la-la la-la la-la la-la."

* * * 

Anya was keeping an eye on Dawn in the living room, while Xander and Willow chatted in the kitchen. It was understood by the Scooby's that she shouldn't be left alone with Dawn. Dawn was still extremely angry and wouldn't even discuss the topic of Willow, let alone communicate with her. Xander thought his best friend was improving remarkably though. The color had begun to return to her cheeks and he even caught her smiling now and then. Plus planning Christmas dinner had given her something to occupy her mind, since she was now on school break.

"Willow, where do you think I could find a very big light?" Xander asked her.

"I don't know, the sun?"

"I'm thinking of something a tad smaller. And don't say the moon."

"Well, the moon doesn't really give off light anyway. It just reflects it. Do you mean like a search light?"

"A search light! Excellent idea Will." He paused to consider. "And where do you suppose I would find one of those?

"Well, I know they have them at prisons."

"Breaking into a high security prison isn't what I had in mind."

She thought about it. "They always have them at the openings of malls and stuff. I guess they rent them from somewhere. Or you could always use a spotlight. I wonder if the one at school is still intact?"

"Check the old school's drama department. Gotcha. Thanks Will."

"What's this all about?" she asked him. "Is it a surprise for the bachelor party, because I expect to be invited. I can oogle at the women too just as good as you can and swear and smoke cigars and all that. In fact it isn't really right for you to be planning it yourself, with Giles and Riley gone. Can I plan it for you? I bet I could find a good stripper given the proper resources."

"It has nothing to do with the bachelor party. I think some of the guys from work are planning to throw it for me." Willow's face fell a little. Xander couldn't stand to see her sad. "But I could always tell them that you wanted to throw it. You are my best friend. I'm sure they'd understand."

Willow was clearly thrilled. "I'm turning into quite the party person, aren't I?"

"No inviting Buffy though. I don't want the guys to be outnumbered."

"Of course. Understandable." Willow was not so easily distracted from the topic at hand. "You never answered my question about the light. Does it have to with the frost monster? Is the big bad a giant gremlin or something?"

"It's just too dorky, I don't want to talk about it. I'll tell you if it works."

Willow gave Xander a skeptical look. "I've known you all my life. Nothing you could possibly tell me is dorky enough to be a surprise."

"I'm making a giant bat signal."

Willow raised her eyebrows. "I stand corrected."

"So," Xander asked her, " You already for the big dinner?"

"I have to go shopping. I bought the turkey and all, but I was looking through the cookbook and there are all sorts of other things required, like stuffing, and seasonings. And you're supposed to do some sort of basting thing to it. It's complicated. Besides, I checked and there's none of that Cranberry sauce stuff you like.

"The kind that keeps the shape of the can?"

"That's the one. So I was probably going to head out soon for the groceries. Everywhere will be so crowded tomorrow. Not to mention all the stores close early."

Xander's voice suddenly took on a much more serious tone. "It's nice to see you being the old Willow lately, the Willow I grew up with. The magic was always impressive, but it never was the real you. The Willow I've always loved." He was getting mushy now, and he realized it.

Willow's smile was tight. "I've always been right here. I never went anywhere." Unbeknownst to the other's Willow had done two other small spells in the past week, when the pain and temptation had gotten to be too much. Neither had gone badly and she told herself that two or three spells in a week were a vast improvement from her previous dozen or so spells a day. "Do you think I should invite Tara?"

"Do you want to?"

"She hasn't spoken to me since I came home that morning with Amy. But I miss her, constantly."

"I know you do, Will, I know. Maybe you should try to talk with her. She's bound to be impressed with how much progress you're making."

"Do you really think so?"

"It's certainly worth a shot."

"Thanks Xander, for everything. I'm going to throw you the best bachelor party ever." Her face just beamed as she threw her arms around him in a big bear hug. He gave her a little kiss on the cheek. Anya wouldn't have minded. She went over to the refrigerator and scribbled a note for Buffy. "Well, I guess I better head out and pick up my supplies. Any requests?"

"Pie is always a classic, preferably something of the fruit variety. Are you sure you're ok to go out alone? Do you want any company?"

"Nah, I've got a stake and a bottle of holy water in my pocket. I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself," Willow reassured him. He still looked aprihensive, so she added, "I have no plans to visit any of my old magical dealing friends, if that's what you're thinking."

"I trust you." He meant it.

"Good. Pie it is." She was out the door in a flash.

* * *

Anya and Dawn sat in front of the TV.

"So this is Scooby Doo?" Anya asked.

"Yup," Dawn told her.

"It seems painfully obvious that the villain is not a ghost but merely the old man who runs the amusement park." The ex-demon stated.

"You've seen this one before, haven't you?"

"So, how is school?" Anya made an attempt at polite conversation.

"School's out for Christmas break, remember?"

"Right. So how's life? Been sneaking out to rendezvous with creatures of the night and commit petty crimes lately?" Anya inquired.

"No, not so much."

"Oh, that's too bad. Some of the best quality time Xander and I have is when you're in trouble and we have to go fight evil to rescue you. Rescue missions always put him in the mood."

Dawn was clearly uncomfortable. "Gee Anya, that's nice." The last thing she wanted to think about was Anya and Xander's sex life. She was saved the task of having to comment further by Buffy, who walked in the front door.

"Slow night?" Dawn asked.

"The slowest. No one at the graveyard wanted to come out and fight. I mean it is just dead there tonight."

Dawn wrinkled her nose. "That is a pun worthy of Xander."

"What, the slayer can't make a few non-prestaking puns now and then without having to face the harsh tones of criticism?" Buffy protested.

"'Fraid not Sis."

"Shhh," Anya butted in, "I want to see if I'm right about the man who runs the amusement park."

"Whatcha guys watching?" Buffy asked.

"Scooby Doo," Dawn answered.

"Hmmm, excellent choice." Buffy told them. "Is Xander still around?"

"He's was in the kitchen last I checked." Anya said. "Aha, I was right! Silly predictable children's shows."

Buffy went into the kitchen.

"Hey, the Buffster's back! Any good slayage tonight?"

"Nope, no action at all."

"Sounds like it was pretty *dead* out there. Get it, dead?"

"Got it Xander." Damn Dawn and her keen observiness.

"I was just finishing off your Twinkie supply," Xander explained, holding up the now empty box of hostess treats. "I know you girls are always so finicky about your weight, so I thought I'd help you out by disposing of the source of temptation."

"That was very thoughtful of you Xander. Your helpfulness didn't extend to the cookie jar, did it?"

"No, I hadn't gotten there yet. However, if you require my assistance?" he asked pointedly.

"I think I have a handle on it," Buffy assured him. She opened the jar and pulled out a cookie. She bit into it, and a blissful look spread across her face. "Yum, chocolate chips."

"Willow left to do some shopping a little while ago."

"Shopping?"

"To get food supplies. Said something about crowds on Christmas Eve."

Buffy had finished her cookie and was starting on a second one. "Is that a good idea, letting her wander around at night, with invisible magic dealers floating around?"

"We have to show her that we trust her. Otherwise all her hard work has been for nothing. I'm willing to give her the benefit of the doubt on this one. You should too."

"You're right. We all deserve a second chance. I just hope we're not trusting her too soon."

"She'll be fine, you'll see."

"Thanks for watching Dawn for me."

"Anya did most of the watching," Xander corrected.

"I just don't know what to do with her when I'm out patrolling. She gets into too much trouble when she's left alone. I wouldn't feel right asking Tara after all that's happened, and Spike is sort of a last resort."

"It's no problem, really. I don't really mind babysitting. But once she turns eighteen she's on her own to deal with the monsters." That earned Xander a sharp glare. "Kidding, Kidding." Buffy evidently was not amused. Xander decided to let it go. "You done for the night then?"

"Yeah, I've had it for the night." Buffy yawned. "I think I might even turn in early." She'd been staying up nights worrying about Willow and Dawn, not to mention her intense attraction to Spike.

"We'll just head off then. Give us a call if you need anything."

* * *

Willow left the store with a big bag full of groceries. She had found the last can of cranberry sauce in the store, which she considered to be a personal victory. She also had gotten the necessary cooking ingredients, along with a dutch apple pie for Xander, the kind with the little crumblies on top. Under her breath she softly hummed "Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel" as she walked. But her humming slowly stopped as she noticed dark shapes come out of the shadows to circle her.

A dozen vampires closed in around her, decked out in full game-face.

"Well, well, well," a gangly male one said, "what have we got here? A pretty girl like you should know better than to walk home alone after dark."

Willow was beginning to wish she had let Xander come along, though she doubted he would have made much of a difference in her odds.

"Let me go," she told them. "I'm not worth your trouble. My best friend is the Slayer."

"Ah yes, the Slayer. I've heard so much about her," the vampire replied in sarcastic tones. "But your friend isn't here now. Which makes you OURS."

Willow hadn't really expected talking to work. Demons were never big on debate. She dropped the grocery bad and pulled the vial of holy water out of her pocket, uncapping it and throwing the contents onto the vampire who had spoken to her. He brought his hands up to his face, which had begun to smoke, and let out a howl of pain. The other vampires stared in shock at their injured comrade. It was all the distraction Willow needed. She took off running.

"Follow her!" the hurt vampire ordered the others. "We must catch her. It would not due to have our lady displeased."

"Willow ran, panting and out of breath. She felt around in her pocket for the stake. Where was it? Her momentary panic was quelled when she felt her hand close around it. She pulled it out. If these vampires wanted to fight, they would soon find out that she could fight back.

Her pursuers were close behind her. She headed for Weatherly Park, figuring she would lose them there better than in a dark alleyway. The choice was a poor one though, for she had hardly taken a few strides before she tripped over a loose root and fell to the ground.

Great, thought Willow, I'm becoming a horror movie cliché.

Strong arms gripped her shoulders, bringing her to her feet. It was a female vampire with long black hair and sharp red fingernails.

"You will pay for that little prank," the she-vamp hissed in her ear. She gripped Willow's wrist and squeezed, hard. Willow gave a small cry and dropped the stake she'd been holding. Tears stung her eyes. "Where are your weapons now?"

"Please Buffy, please show up," Willow whispered. She'd always been there for her when Willow had needed her in the past, but now she was nowhere in sight.

"You can scream if you want," the she-vamp taunted, "but there is no one around to hear it."

The vampires laughed. It was time for Willow to act.

"Tara, forgive me," she said. It was either do magic or die, and spells certainly seemed to be the lesser of the two evils. Willow focused her attention on a large nearby oak.

"Discutere," she chanted, "involo vespertilionis, caedere!"

Willow felt a huge rush of power go through her as her pupils dilated. The tree tore itself apart into sharp shards which flew into each of the vampires chests simultaneously.

"Don't mess with a Wiccan," she told them as they exploded into ash. She smiled at her victory before passing out with exhaustion.

One figure remained in the distance. She had not been foolish enough to attack with her minions. She kneeled beside the fallen girl and stroked her hair.

"Poor lost lamb," Drusilla whispered to the sleeping Willow, "Don't worry, Mummy's found you."

* * *

Willow opened her eyes to find herself tied up in an abandoned warehouse. The ropes that held her were thick and strong. Struggling only made them bite into her flesh more, and the simplest unbinding spell had no effect.

"Liberare," she told the ropes. Nothing happened.

"The little lamb is tired," Dru said, coming into her view. "You played too hard with my friends, and now you can't play at all."

"Dru!" Willow said, feigning friendship. "You're back in town. So good to see you. Now that we've had this little heart to heart, why don't you let me go and we'll do lunch real soon." It probably not a good idea to mention lunch to a vampire.

Drusilla licked her lips. "We're not done with this game yet, lamb. No good changing the rules now."

"You're using me as bait for Buffy, right? Well, she's really powerful now, more powerful than ever. If she finds me here she'll kill you. Poof, dusted, gone. But if you release me and skip town, I promise I won't even mention that you stopped by. You'll be free to have a long, happy unlife."

"I will play with the Slayer later. Right now I want to play with you. Tell me lamb, have you ever thought about immortality?"

* * *

Buffy awoke a little before noon. She came out to find Dawn watching cartoons again.

"I see you slept in," Dawn said.

"I see you didn't," Buffy answered back.

Dawn shrugged, "There was valuable television viewing to be had."

Buffy went to the kitchen to find something to eat. She settled for an apple, and began munching on it as she walked back into the living room.

"Dawn," she hated to bring up the subject, but there was no one else to ask, "where is Willow?"

"Don't know," Dawn replied, sounding bored. She obviously didn't care much either. "I think she went out."

"Oh." Buffy wasn't too worried. Xander was right, they needed to trust Willow a little more and give her space to do her own things. A quick check of the fridge confirmed Dawns story. There was a small note.

"Buffy,

Gone out, be back soon.

-Willow"

She was probably just at Xander's or finishing up some last minute Christmas shopping. Which reminded Buffy, she had an awful lot of presents to wrap. She should really get on that before she was once again distracted by having to fight the forces of darkness.

* * *

Xander and Anya were digging through the remains of Sunnydale High, more specifically its old theater.

"I always hate coming back here," Anya complained.

"It's not exactly my favorite place either Hon, but it's out best chance at finding what we're looking for. Besides, I have some fond memories of this place: preventing the apocalypse, doing research, preventing the apocalypse, doing donut runs, preventing the apocalypse." He pushed aside a large plank of wood. "Here we go, a source four." He examined the old spotlight. "The bulb is still intact. Score one for Willow!"

"Do you think it will work?" Anya asked.

"There's no way to say for sure until we plug it in. Lets get this back to the magic shop and test it out."

* * *

It was nearly nightfall and Buffy was worrying again. Willow still hadn't come home. She decided to call Xander. He wasn't home. She only got the answering machine, so she tried the magic shop instead. Anya answered on the second ring.

"Hello, Magic Box." Her tone was cheerful. "How can I help you? We have a special today on frog livers . . ."

"Anya, it's me," Buffy said. "Can I talk to Xander?"

"Oh hi Buffy," her voice returned to it's normal timber. "I thought you might be a paying customer. Someone who wanted to spend money."

"On Christmas eve?"

"We carry gifts for the unusual and hard to shop for."

"Is Xander there or isn't he?"

"He's there."

The phone was passed over to Xander. "Buff?"

"Xander, have you seen Willow? She's been gone all day."

"No, can't say I have." His voice was filled with concern. "She made it back alright last night, didn't she?"

Buffy checked the fridge. There was a turkey in it, evidence enough that she'd brought home the groceries. "Yeah, she made it back fine. But she's been gone since morning."

"Well, she said something about going to talk to Tara. She was thinking of inviting her to dinner. She's probably over there."

"I guess I should call Tara then."

"Give them a little time. If Willow's been over there a while they're probably *making up* and if they're *making up* they might not want to be disturbed if you catch my drift."

"Right." Buffy was getting an uncomfortable mental image.

"I'm sure you're getting all worked up over nothing."

Buffy wasn't so sure. She had a bad feeling in her gut. But it could have just been a side effect from eating too many cookies.

"Get back to me if you hear anything new," Xander added.

"I will."

* * *

Xander hung up the phone. Anya was looking at him curiously.

"What was that all about?" Anya asked. "Has Willow run off an eloped with Amy?"

"She's just been gone a while and Buffy is being over protective. But it's nothing. She'll probably show up any minute.

"I finished the bat signal while you were on the phone," she told him.

Much like Xander had done with the flashlight, they had fashioned some black construction paper into a bat cutout and taped it over the lens.

"Did you find the extension cord?" he asked her.

"Yes. It was right where I said it would be."

"Good, then lets plug it in and get this baby outside. It's dark now. Let's see if my plan works."

* * *

Willow knocked frantically on Tara's door.

"Let me in Tara. Please, let me in!"

Tara opened the door to find Willow in total disarray. Her clothes were torn, her hair was a mess and her hands were battered and bloody.

"C-c-come in. What happened to you? Willow are you ok?" Tara was shocked to see her looking that way. Her mind immediately jumped to the worst. This had something to do with Amy or Rack. She'd heard from Dawn about what had happened the last time Willow had mettled in the dark magics.

Willow was shaking. "It's Dru. She's back and she kidnapped me. I just barely got away."

"Drusilla?" Tara asked in wonder. She hugged Willow tight. "I'm so s-sorry you had to go through that. But you're safe here. I won't let anything harm you. I promise."

"I believe you." Willow laid her head upon Tara's shoulder, pulling her in tighter.

Tara savored the embrace. It felt wonder to hold her again. She had missed Willow more than words could say.

"I'm going to get some bandages for your hands," Tara told her. "You stay right here."

Willow smiled at her in a way that made her heart melt. "I'm not going anywhere."

Tara returned a moment later with a first aid kit, and began tending to her wounds. She cleaned the cuts with rubbing alcohol.

Willow made a face. "That stings," she said.

"I know." She blew on them lightly.

"Tara, I have to tell you something. I used magic to escape. I didn't want to, but I had to."

"It's ok Will. I understand." Tara began to put the bandages on.

"Did Buffy tell you I gave up magic? You were right. I've been using it wrong and it isn't good for me. It isn't good for anyone. I've been very good about it. No spells at all, except for fending off vampires, I swear."

Tara fought back tears. "That's wonderful Willow, just wonderful."

"I know I don't have any right to ask, but do you think you could find it in your heart to forgive me? And maybe if you forgive me, you might be willing to someday give me a second chance?"

Tara leaned in and kissed her, tenderly. Willow kissed her back passionately, hungrily. When they separated at last, Tara leaned her forehead against Willow's, gazing deep into her eyes.

"I could forgive you almost anything Willow," she said, "but it won't always be easy."

"I know that." Willow was the happiest she had been in months. "I just want us to be together, forever." Having said that, Willow morphed into game-face.

Tara let out a gasp and pushed away from her. "W-w-what's happened to you W-Willow? W-what did Drusilla do to you?"

"W-w-what do you think?" Willow said in a mocking tone. "This won't hurt much Tara. I promise it'll be over quickly."

"No!" Tara screamed. She pushed her chair into Willow, knocking her over. She ran to her room and shut the door, pushing her bed in front of it. She threw open her drawers, grabbing a wooden cross and stake. The door behind her shook under Willow's blows.

"Tara, let me in. Even as a mortal I was stronger than you. You can't hope to win."

Tears poured down Tara's face as she fought to pry open the window. The stubborn thing always stuck on her. She managed to get it open enough to crawl through. Once out, she broke into a run. She had to warn the others. They were all in danger.

* * *

The Troika was in the loser-mobile, heading towards the zoo.

"Look up in the sky," said Warren. "Isn't that the bat signal?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Josh scoffed, "It's obviously the work of amateurs. The wing to body ration is way off. And the ears are more rounded than pointed. It's probably just a fraternity prank."

"You're right, those guys will do anything. Shall we proceed with phase 2?"

* * *

Xander and Anya had been shining their homemade bat signal in the air for a half and hour with no luck.

"Maybe Batman was busy," Anya suggested helpfully.

"Or maybe I'm an idiot," Xander replied. "Let's get this thing back inside." 

Anya helped him carry it back in. He unplugged it, shaking his head in disgust. "I was so sure too."

"Well maybe Mr. Freeze is real, just not this Batman guy." Anya told him.

Willow came running in the door.

"Will, where have you been? Buffy's been worried about you." Xander asked, somewhat concerned. Willow didn't look so good. He could see her hands were bandaged.

"Have you heard from Tara?" she asked with a grave look on her face.

"No, why? Did something happen?" He was very concerned now.

Willow to the phone. As she picked up the receiver, she unhooked the telephone cord with her foot, behind the counter. "The phones dead. We have to warn Buffy!"

"Slow down Willow! Warn her about what?" Xander asked. "What exactly is going on?"

"It's Tara," Willow said. "Something horrible has happened to her."

* * *

It was well after dark and still no sign of Willow. Buffy felt scared. She picked up the phone to call the Magic Box. There was no answer. Buffy's fears doubled.

She grabbed her bag of weapons.

"I want you to stay right here. Do not leave this couch or this house for ANY reason. And don't invite any strangers in. Do I make myself clear?" Buffy told her.

"Is something wrong?" Dawn was unsettled by Buffy's instructions.

"I don't know, but I'm going to find out. Just promise you'll stay here where it's safe. I can't have you sneaking out again. Promise me!"

"I promise."

Buffy booked it for the Magic Box.

* * *

Tara reached the door to the Magic Box, but it wouldn't open as a result of large, heavy objects being piled behind it.

"Let me in!" Tara yelled.

"No can do Tara," Xander said from behind the door. "Willow's told us everything."

"Then she told you that she's a vampire?"

"We both know that there's only one vampire here, and that's you." Xander replied.

"The gig is up Tara," Willow added.

Tara kicked the door, furious. "If I were a vampire, would I be holding a cross?"

Xander looked through the window at her. She held up the wooden cross for him to behold. No smoke rose where it touched her skin.

"I should have known we'd end up trapped with the vampire," Anya complained.

Xander turned back to Willow. "Will . . ."

"It's a trick," she said, "some sort of illusion."

"Stand back Xander, I'm going to break in the door." Tara warned. She raised her hand. "Diducere!"

The door and the contents blocking it flew open. Tara walked in. "The gig IS up Willow."

Buffy came bursting through the newly opened door.

"Willow, thank God you're safe. I was worried sick about you!" Buffy exclaimed. She paused to take a look around. "Tara, why are you holding a stake? Is there a vampire?" Willow changed into game-face with a growl. "Oh, I see."

"Slayer," she hissed.

"This is soooo not good," Buffy told herself.

Spike came running in.

"Buffy, you're in danger," he said. "Dru's back in town. I only just heard. She'll be after you for sure." He glanced up at Willow. "When did you get all vamp-happy?" he asked her. "You'd think I would have noticed that before."

Willow glared at the newcomers. She was now seriously outnumbered. "Repellere!" she shouted. The others fell to the ground as a giant wave of power pushed them back. "When next we meet, you will all be turned or killed, except for the Slayer's pet. We will see the traitor burn."

"Good, I always wanted to go out with a bang!" Spike muttered to himself.

Willow disappeared into the passage to the sewers.

"Dawn!" Buffy said.

The Scooby Gang looked at each other, got to their feet and scrambled to Buffy's house.

They reached it in record time. Buffy all but broke down the door.

Dawn sat on the couch, in the exact same spot where Buffy left her.

"Dawn, did Willow come by here?" Buffy asked.

"Yeah, she did, but she was acting all strange. I thought she might be high on magic again so I didn't let her in."

Buffy rushed over and hugged her so tight that she thought she might break her.

"What's going on?" Dawn asked her. "Why is everyone here?"

No one knew what to tell her. No one that is, except for Tara.

She sat down beside her on the couch, and took her hand.

"Could the rest of you leave us alone for a few minutes? Dawn, there's something I have to tell you."

* * *

On Christmas night no one was hungry. The turkey lay uncooked and untouched in the refrigerator.


	3. Paint The Town Red (or The Thing With Th...

Paint The Town Red (or The Thing With The Gorilla)

Willow entered Drusilla's Warehouse.

"You didn't come home last night," Dru said.

"I know, I got caught up reminiscing with old friends and lost track of time. And I paid a well-needed visit to my mother. She always used to complain that I didn't keep in touch. Daylight came and I had to stay in the sewers. You know how we red heads burn in the sun."

"Where's your pet?" Dru asked her.

"She ran away." Willow said, extremely displeased. "The Slayer helped her."

"Poor lamb," Dru crooned. "Mummy will help you catch her and punish her for upsetting you so."

"You'd better."

Willow noticed a girl, who lay tied up on the table. She had long blond hair and eyes wide with terror. She couldn't have been much more than sixteen.

"Whose that?" Willow asked.

"I brought you a present." 

Willow smiled broadly. "She's beautiful. So young and tender and fresh." She went and knelt by the girl to whisper in her ear. "I was once innocent like you child. But then I changed." Her face went bumpy as she ran her tongue slowly up the girl's neck. "You taste sweet."

"Please God, no!" the girl whimpered.

"God won't save you now little one," Willow told her. "I'm about as far from God as they come." And with that she bit, sinking her fangs deep into the girl's neck and draining her dry. The girl shuddered and died.

Willow pulled away. Fresh blood was smeared across her chin and splattered on her pink sweater.

"You're a messy eater!" Dru scolded.

"I never liked this outfit," Willow replied, sounding bored. "It's so pastel and *fluffy*. Where do vampires go to shop anyway?"

* * *

Tara had returned to her apartment only briefly and in the daytime to perform the uninvite spell and collect her things. She'd been staying at Buffy's. The others had all agreed that it was probably best that she not be left alone. True, Willow could not enter the premises, but she was no ordinary vampire and could still find ways to harm her. The vampire Willow had made it perfectly that attacking Tara was her utmost priority.

As comforting as it was to know that Buffy was nearby, it was equally painful to try and sleep alone in the bed she had once shared with Willow. She kept having horrible nightmares.

But none of the Scoobies were sleeping. They were all gathered at Buffy's, since it seemed the safest place. Even in their time of mourning, business still needed attending to.

"We have to call Giles," Xander said. "He needs to know about this, about what happened to Willow."

The thought, 'That Willow's dead,' hung in the air, but no one wanted to say it.

"I'll do it," Buffy said, "but I'd better wait on it. I don't want to wake him." It seemed like an absurd concern given the circumstances, but jolting him out of sleep would only make the news more difficult to process. "What's the time difference anyway, ten hours?"

"Eight hours." Spike said. "Call him in the morning and it should be evening for him. And you should call Angel while you're at it." He hated showing concern for one of his oldest rivals, but he didn't want the world being sucked into Hell unnecessarily. "If Dru's back she might well try and go after him and de-soul him or kill him or what not. And he knew Willow too."

"You're right," Buffy said, "he needs to know."

"De-soul," Tara muttered. "That's it!" She fumbled with Willow's iBook. The laptop and some books had been recovered from the Magic Box and brought to Buffy's. The store was still in total disarray, much to Anya's displeasure. Between Tara busting open the door and Willow blasting them all back, all the shelves and most of the products were piled on the floor. Anya had roped them all into a good solid day of cleaning for the next day.

"I have to get those after Christmas sales up," she had explained.

No one had had the patience to reprimand her rudeness.

Tara opened the computer and turned it on. The power cord was missing, but there was still a lot of juice in its battery.

"Willow kept an index of her spells on her hard drive," Tara explained. "Simple spells, hard to find spells and spells she used frequently." Her fingers danced over the keypad. "They have to be here somewhere." Her expression grew more and more concerned. "I can't find them!"

"Maybe she deleted them when she gave up magic," Buffy suggested. "You know, to remove the source of temptation?"

"She was too level headed to dispose of things she knew we might need." Tara said. "That wouldn't have been like her."

Xander looked uncomfortable. "She was doing something at the computer before you got to the Magic Box, Tara. She said she was looking for something that might help. I still thought she was the old Will, and really didn't think too much of it. I guess should have mentioned it earlier, but my best friend vamping out had me a little distracted."

"She erased them all. Damn!" Tara swore.

"You looking for anything in particular there Tara?" Xander asked.

"Yes, the re-souling spell, the one that was done on Angel. Do you still have the book it was found in?"

Buffy shook her head. "It was on a disk. Miss Calendar wrote it. I'm not sure where she got it from."

"And this Miss Calendar?" Tara asked hopefully.

"Was murdered by Angelus," Xander answered. "I'm afraid you're at a dead end. Willow must have known we'd think to try it, and if this vampire Willow is anything like the vampire Willow from Bizarro Land, she likes being evil and plans to stay that way."

"It was a good idea," Spike told her, "but there's nothing to be done." He laid a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. "I miss her too, but she'll never be the old Red again, no matter what you do. Don't let anyone convince you otherwise, or they'll get you killed. Vampires like to play on the emotions of mortals they used to know. We're tricky like that."

Tara looked him straight in the eye. "Is it quick, the turning? D-d-do you think there was much pain?"

"It's quick," he reassured her. "Dru can be quite tender when she wants to. I'm sure it was probably over before she even knew what had happened." Spike was only half telling the truth. No good in worrying the girl more though, he thought to himself, best to give her some comfort.

"So there's no hope of turning her back?" Dawn asked. It was the first thing she had said since had found out about Willow.

"'Fraid not Bit," Spike told her.

An uncomfortable silence settled over the group.

"I'm going to pop outside for a smoke," Spike added. "All this gloom and doom is making me antsy."

Buffy watched him go out. "I'm going to step outside too," she told them. "I need some fresh air."

Xander and Anya exchanged puzzled looks, but no one said anything.

Spike leaned on the porch railing, blowing out a puff of smoke. "Fancy meeting you here, Luv," he said. His grin was half hearted.

"It wasn't quick and painless, was it?" she asked him.

"Being turned into a vampire is painful and pleasurable at the same time, both terrifying and exhilarating. But that's not the sort of thing the girl needs to hear right now. She's only just lost the love of her life."

"Since when did you get all sensitive on me?"

"Mortals have their dark side, and vampires have their soft side. We just try not to let it show is all. What can I say Slayer? You caught me." He put out his cigarette. "How are you holding up, Luv?" he asked her.

"How do you think?" she replied. "I'm miserable. Willow and I were only just starting to reconnect. I thought everything was going to be ok." A tear slid down her cheek and she attempted to cover it with a bittersweet laugh. "I guess that's what I get for living on a Hellmouth." What was left of her reserve cracked, and the tears came flooding down. "I can't kill another person I love, I just can't."

"I know, I know. Shhhh." Spike took her in his arms and rocked her back and forth like a little child, stroking her hair. Buffy buried her face in his chest, sobbing into his shirt.

"It'll be ok Luv," he lied. It was a preposterous thing to say. Nothing would ever be ok, but he said it as much for himself as for her.

Buffy lifted her head up and brought her lips to his. He returned the gesture, and their kisses grew in intensity. She broke away to catch her breath.

"We should get inside," she said. "They'll be wondering what happened to us."

"Alright," he told her. He knew better than to press his luck.

* * *

The Troika were holed up in their hide-out. An irate gorilla sat in a cage in the corner, and Andrew was attempting to persuade it to listen.

"If you do what we tell you, you can have this ripe, juice banana," Andrew told it, waving the piece of fruit in front of its angry face. The gorilla answered with an angry grunt.

"I don't think the Gorilla understands English," Warren commented. "Why don't you just wait until I finish rewiring the hypno-ray."

"Yeah," Jonathan added, "I mean do Gorillas really even eat bananas, or is that just a myth."

"I think bananas are more of a monkey thing," Warren put in.

Andrew was irritated. "How should I know? You were supposed to do the animal research Jonathan!"

"I was busy," Jonathan replied.

"Busy playing X-Box you mean," Andrew corrected.

"Hey, X-Box is important too. I mean what's the point of world domination if you can't even win at a simple game of HALO?"

"If you don't chip in for your share of the research, there won't BE any world domination. All we'll be able to do is open a small basement petting zoo!"

"Guys, guys, guys!" Warren interrupted. "The ray is fixed. Lets see if this baby works." He held in his hands a gun shaped contraption with a large, spiraled circle on the end. He pointed it at the gorilla and pressed the trigger. The circle began to turn and emitted a soft glow. "Gorilla, you will do our bidding. You will be our slave. You will take orders only from me."

"What about the rest of us?" Andrew asked.

"And from Andrew and Jonathan," Warren reluctantly added. "When I snap my fingers you will awake, completely under our power." He turned off the hypno-ray and snapped. "Now lets open the cage and see if this worked."

* * *

Willow and Dru were sipping drinks and people watching at the bronze.

"Wrong color," Willow said of one girl. "Wrong size," she said of another. Then she spotted a girl clad in tight black leather pants. "That one looks just right."

Willow walked over the girl, acting as innocent as possible. "I'm sorry to bother you and all, but do you have a car? Mine just wont start, and I thought maybe you could help me jumpstart it." She fluttered her eyelids and tried to look genuinely upset.

"No I'm sorry, I don't have a car," the apologized. "I could ask my boyfriend though."

"Well how about you just step outside and take a look at it then?"

"But that doesn't make any sense at all."

Willow was growing impatient with the girl. She gripped her firmly by the neck. "Crucio!" she muttered. A wave of intense pain engulfed the poor girl. "I asked nicely, and now I'm going to ask you again. Come outside with me!"

"Okay," the girl said. "Anything you say." She followed Willow outside, where she was promptly bitten and drained.

Willow traded pants with the girl and smiled, feeling much better. "A perfect fit," she said.

Dru walked over to her holding another dead girl in a red tank top with flames and the words "Hot Mama" written across the chest.

"For me?" Willow wanted to know. Drusilla nodded. Willow ripped the remains of her pink sweater off and threw it away. She pulled on the new top, her outfit now complete. "I feel better already."

"Do you want to go back inside, Lamb?" Dru asked her.

"No, too boring. Besides, there's someone we should pay a visit too."

* * *

The Troika were piled in their van, speeding after the escaped gorilla, with Warren driving.

"Guess your hypno-ray didn't work, huh?" Andrew taunted.

"I just need to rework the wiring." Warren replied.

"If *your* phaser had worked it wouldn't have mattered. We could have stopped the Gorilla and tried it over again." Jonathan accused.

"I told you I had never tested the stun setting before," Andrew said. "You can't expect it to work perfectly the first time."

"My freeze ray worked the first time."

"And froze your hand in the process."

"Can you stop fighting?" Warren chimed in. "I'm trying to drive here."

Andrew paid him no heed. "Look what that animal did to Darth Maul!" he said, holding up the injured action figure. Its arm had been torn clean off. "Luke and Vader were the only Jedi knights that were supposed to lose arms. It just isn't right."

"We'll get you a new one at K-mart." Warren told him.

"This one had sentimental value. I got it at the premiere of Episode One."

"Guys, I am closing in on the Gorilla," Warren said. "Hand me the freeze ray." He stuck the freeze ray out the window and took aim. He hit the gorilla on the first try, and brought the car to a halt.

The three of them struggled to try and lift the frozen animal into the van.

"Who would have thought a Gorilla would be so heavy?" Jonathan asked.

They heard some sirens in the distance.

"I say we leave the gorilla here, and go to the backup plan for phase two." Warren said.

"Agreed," the other two replied.

And with that, the Troika sped off into the night.

* * *

Drusilla and Willow materialized through the wall of Rack's waiting room. Willow pushed in front of the other Junkies and knocked on the door. It opened.

Rack saw her and smiled. "Strawberry . . ." he said.

With a swift motion, Willow grabbed his head and twisted, breaking his neck and dropping him to the floor.

"Asshole," she replied.

* * *

The next morning, Dawn was looking through the paper.

"Bad news," she told Tara.

"Willow?" she asked.

"Uh-huh, sure looks like it. 'Shelia Rosenburg was found dead in her home last night, her throat slashed. Her fingernails had been removed and she had sustained multiple cuts and abrasions. Mysteriously there was very little blood around the body. Authorities have yet to narrow down a list of possible suspects.'"

"She went after her own mother. That's horrible."

"There's more." Dawn continued on. "Victims found at the bronze, a few missing people and a frozen Gorilla."

"A frozen Gorilla?"

"Well, that's probably the work of our frost monster, not Willow. It's still bad news though."

"Since when do you read the paper?" Tara asked.

"I don't usually. I was looking for the funny pages." Dawn admitted sheepishly. "I just sort of ran across the articles and they seemed important."

"We'd better let the others know. Feel like going to the Magic Box?"

"Sure, just let me take my bush my hair."

"We should bring Buffy. Where is she anyway?"

"I don't know," Dawn replied with a puzzled look on her face. "One minute she was making phone calls, and the next minute she just sort of ran off."

* * *

Buffy threw open the door to Spike's.

"Ow, ow sunlight. Watch it Luv!"

"Sorry," she told him, shutting the door. Buffy began pulling off her black sweater.

"Er, Buffy," Spike began awkwardly, "Anything in particular you wanted to see me about?"

"Don't talk," she said, slipping out of her skirt.

"Alright."

Buffy began kissing him, roughly. She ripped the shirt off of him, quite literally. She tore the thing in half. 

Bugger all, he thought, that was my second best black shirt!

His attention was quickly distracted once more by Buffy working on undoing his pants. He stopped her so that he could remover his shoes, making the process somewhat easier. Buffy threw him on the bed and climbed on top of him.

Well, Spike thought, this should be interesting.

* * *

Tara and Dawn walked into the magic shop.

"Oh good," Anya said, "you're here to clean."

"The cleaning may have to wait for another day." Tara told them. There's been another frost monster attack. A gorilla was frozen this time."

"And about a dozen vampire attacks," Dawn added.

"We need to do research." Tara said.

"And we all know research goes better in a nice, clean and orderly place, preferably with a fabulous window display." Anya replied.

"Look, I have a theory . . ." Xander began.

"It isn't bunnies, is it?" Tara asked.

"No, but it's probably just as unlikely. You know Mr. Freeze from the Batman movie?"

Tara thought for a second. "It makes sense, in an improbable sort of way."

"But if it is him, how do we find him and how do we stop him? Our books here just don't have anything about comic book characters."

"Why not look for info at a comic book store?" Dawn suggested.

"Great idea!" Xander opened the laptop. He attempted a search for the words "Comic Book Store" and "Sunnydale."

"AOL not responding? Host unable to process your request?!" Xander directed a few colorful phrases at the computer.

"Honestly, Honey!" Anya told him. "We'll just look it up in the phone book."

They perused the Yellow Pages until they found what they were looking for.

"Great. Xander an I will go do some research at this comics place, while you stay here and clean." Anya said.

"I definitely think we got the raw end of the deal here," Dawn whispered to Tara.

* * *

Buffy lay in Spike's arms, snuggling up to him.

"Do you want to talk about what's on your mind Luv, or should I continue to remain silent?" he asked.

"I called Angel," she said.

Spike felt hurt. So that's what this was all about, Angel.

"And?"

"He has a son. He and Darla had a human child."

"That's impossible!"

"It's a miracle, something to do with a prophesy."

"I've always hated prophesies."

"I never cared much for them myself."

"So," he said, "You came running over here because you're upset that your old flame has suddenly become a family man?"

"No, not just that. It's everything: Heaven, Willow, Giles, Xander and Anya. Sometimes it's all too much for me."

"Glad I could be here to 'conveniently' help you escape your problems," he told her, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Spike, do you have to remember every stupid little thing I say in the heat of argument? What I said before, the last time we . . . I didn't really mean it, not like that. The truth is, I don't know what you are to me, or what this thing between us is."

Well, thought Spike, it was certainly somewhere to start.

"I can deal with 'I don't know,'" Spike said, kissing her and holding her tight.

* * *

Xander and Anya explored the store Comic Heaven in the Sunnydale mall.

"There are a lot of Batman comics with Mr. Freeze in them," he told her. "How many do you think we should get?"

"As few as possible, preferably the cheap ones on that sale rack over there." Anya replied.

They went over to inspect the contents of the sale rack. Just then the Troika came strolling in.

Andrew picked up a Darth Maul action figure. "See," he told them, "first edition."

"It's like twenty bucks!" Jonathan protested.

"If his stupid gorilla hadn't destroyed and devalued the one I already had, you wouldn't have to be buying me a new one."

Xander looked up from his search. Anya mouthed the word "Gorilla?" to him.

"Look," Warren said, "If we buy it for you will you shut up?"

"I will certainly think about it." Andrew replied.

They brought it to the counter. The man behind it rung it up for fifteen dollars.

"Your usual discount," he told them.

"Aw, you didn't have to do that Ed," Andrew said.

"Are you kidding?" he told them. "The three of you personally got me through that first, shaky year."

The Troika paid him and left.

"You guys need any help?" Ed asked Xander and Anya.

"No thanks," Xander replied, "I think we have everything we need."

* * *

Buffy entered the Magic Box to find the rest of the Scoobies gathered there. The shop was much cleaner, though there were a few items left to be put away. But no one was cleaning.

"What's going on guys?" Buffy asked.

"We know who the frost monster is." Xander said.

"And?"

"It's Jonathan, Warren and one of their little dweeb friends," Xander told her. "Anya and I over heard them talking about a Gorilla in the comic book store."

"What were you guys doing in a comic book store?"

"I don't know," he replied. "What were you doing all afternoon?"

"You were supposed to help us clean. Poor Tara and Dawn had to clean everything by themselves." Anya reprimanded. 

"I needed some time. Alone. To think. I'm sorry Anya, I forgot." Buffy felt bad, more so for lying to her friends than for forgetting to help them out. "So the big bad is a trio of geeks? I think I can handle it."

"Do you want any back up?" Xander asked her. "I mean they could freeze you or something."

"Am I the Slayer or am I the Slayer? Besides, they're probably just in Warren's basement talking trekkie anyway."

"Well if you're sure."

"Trust me. This should be a piece of cake."

* * *

Back in Warren's Basement, Jonathan and Andrew were arguing about the correct use of the Vulcan neck pinch. They were interrupted by Buffy.

"Cough up the diamond," she said.

"W-w-what diamond?" Andrew asked.

"The one sitting over there on the table in plain view."

"Oh, that diamond."

"It belongs to the museum, and you're going to return it." Buffy told them.

Warren grabbed the hypno-ray. "No, we're not."

Buffy was unimpressed. "Puh-lease. You're going to fight me with that? I do have super strength, incase you haven't noticed."

Warren turned it on. "You will be our willing slave. You will do whatever we command."

Buffy's eyes went hazy. "Masters?" 

"Neat." Jonathan said.

* * *

Spike came by the Magic Box right after sundown. "Hello Bit," he said to Dawn giving her a hug and a kiss on the forehead. He tried not to appear too happy though, lest the other Scoobies catch on to him and the Slayer and try to stake him. "Where's Buffy?"

"She went over to have a talk with Warren, Jonathan and What's-his-name. We're pretty sure they're the guys who have been freezing people." Xander explained.

"Those losers?" Spike asked. "Come to think of it they did have a large diamond laying about the last time I visited them."

"Wait, you went to see them? Tell me you're not making another Buffy-bot!" Xander looked disgusted.

"Spike wouldn't do that." Dawn said in his defense. Spike patted her good arm.

"Listen to the Nibblet." Spike was insulted. He wouldn't have wanted another Buffy-bot even if Buffy and he weren't . . . whatever they were.

"Then what were you visiting with the enemy for?"

"The chip needed checking. Thought it might be malfunctioning is all. But the things in perfect bloody condition." Damned if he was going to elaborate.

"Why, you planning to bite someone?" Xander asked.

"If I were, you'd be the first too know," he replied, threateningly. "How long has she been gone?"

"A few hours."

"A few hours?!" Spike headed for the door.

"Where do you think you're going?" he demanded.

"To check up on the girl. I don't want them turning her into an ice queen."

* * *

"Here are your Cheetos and Kool-aid," Buffy said to the trio, "oh wise and powerful ones."

"I'm sorry to doubt you Warren," Andrew said, "Making Buffy our love slave was an excellent idea."

"Another foot rub?" she asked him.

"Yeah," Andrew replied, "but not so rough this time."

Spike burst in, bearing a crossbow.

"Uh Spike," Warren said, "Need us to take another look at your chip?"

"Is something wrong, oh brainy ones?" Buffy asked with great concern.

"I'll say. What have you done to her?"

"A small hypnotism," Jonathan said.

Spike grabbed him by the collar and pressed the tip of the arrow to his throat. "You mess with my girl, and you mess with me," he said.

"Wait, what do you mean 'your girl'?" Warren asked. "Are you two like a couple or something?"

"Un-hypnotize her, or your friend dies."

"Go on, un-hypnotize her," Jonathan said. "Guys!"

"We're thinking," Andrew replied.

"That's an awfully pretty Star Wars poster behind him. Looks like an original. Wouldn't look nearly as nice with blood splattered all over it I reckon, now would it?"

"Ok, ok." Warren pointed the hypno-ray at Buffy again. "You are released from our powers. Be our slave no more."

Buffy blinked her eyes. "What happened? I was just about to kick you're asses when . . . what're you doing here?" she asked Spike.

"Your boyfriend thought he'd show up and ruin our plans for world domination," Jonathan informed her, bitterly.

Buffy glared at Spike. "You told them you're my boyfriend?!"

"Well no, not exactly. It just sort of slipped out."

"You are not my boyfriend. We never agreed to that."

"So he's not your boyfriend?" Warren asked. "Because if you happen to be free Friday night—"

"SHUT UP!" they both told him.

"Look I just came all the way over here because I was worried about you. And I did just rescue you in case you didn't notice. The least you could do is not embarrass me in front of Revenge of the Nerds!"

Buffy changed her tone. "You were worried about me? That's so sweet."

"I think I'm going to be sick," Jonathan said.

Buffy turned her attention back to the Troika. "You guy better have not made me do anything icky."

"If they did, I'm going to have to repeal my 'no killing humans' policy." Spike warned.

"Trust me, if they did, I'd be repealing my 'no killing humans' policy as well." Buffy agreed.

Warren went for the freeze ray.

"Spike, look out!" 

Buffy kicked the freeze ray out of his hands. Spike scrambled to grab it, and aimed it at the Troika.

"Buffy, get down!" he yelled. She ducked and he blasted the three nerds with their own device.

Buffy stood back up. He set down the freeze ray. "Cold hand," he told her, rubbing at his fingers. "Very cold hand!"

"What do you say we drop the nerdcicles on the police's doorstep, complete with all the necessary evidence to convict them?" Buffy suggested.

"Sounds like a plan," Spike told her.

"Thank you," she said, "for coming to rescue me." She laid a kiss on his lips.

The cold was no longer a problem for Spike. He felt warm all over.

* * *

Dawn walked in on Tara packing a suitcase.

"What's going on?" Dawn asked, sitting on the bed.

"I'm leaving for a little while, just as soon as Buffy gets back." Tara explained.

"Why, don't you like it here?"

"It's not that, it's just that I want to try and help Willow, and I can't do that here."

"So you're running away?"

"I'm not running away," Tara told her. She put aside her packing and sat down beside Dawn. "I WILL be back. I would never leave you for good, you know that."

"Willow did."

"I know." She hugged the girl tight. Dawn was so much like a daughter to her. To see her hurting just broke her heart. "But I'm going to find a way to fix it, I swear."

"Be careful."

"I always am."

Dawn relaxed a little. "Don't forget your green sweater. It's been really cold lately."

* * *

Tara didn't reach LA until much later. She walked up to Angel's hotel and knocked on the door.


	4. Soul Searching

Soul Searching

Angel opened the door a crack. "Can I help you?"

"Angel, right?" Tara asked.

"Yes, how did you know?"

"Well I've heard a lot about you: dark, brooding, a tendency to lurk . . ."

"That's me all right," Angel told her. "And you would be?"

"Tara."

Angel's eyes filled with understanding and then sympathy. "Tara, of course. Come in." He ushered her into the lobby. "I was very sorry to hear about Willow. She was always kind to me."

"She was a kind person," Tara said. "That was her nature."

"Everyone," he said, "this is Tara, a friend of Buffy's. Tara, these are my co-workers at angel Investigations. I'd like you to meet Cordelia Chase, Wesley Wyndam-Pryce, Charles Gunn, and Winifred Burkle."

Tara thought the last girl seemed to be a fragile flower. She was beautiful, but at the same time delicate. Fred gave Tara a shy smile.

"I'd introduce you to my son, but we only just got him to sleep and I can't take the chance of him waking up again."

"That's ok, I understand." Tara said. "Congratulations on the new edition to your family." She turned here attention to the others. "It was very nice to meet you all."

"You too," Cordelia said. "It's so sad, about Willow. I know I wasn't always nice to her in high school, but she helped saved my life a few times. I'm going to miss her."

"I'd like to offer my condolences as well," Wesley said. "I have many fond memories of the girl. Willow was the best of us."

Tara's eyes got misty. "It's good to hear you say that."

"What can we do for you?" Angel asked. "Did Buffy send you? Is the world ending again?"

"There's no official apocalypse in store as far as I know," Tara said, "although it wouldn't surprise me. I came about Willow. I want to help her."

"I'm not sure I understand." Angel replied.

"I need you to tell me everything you can about the gypsy curse that gave you your soul back."

"There isn't much to tell. I drank the wrong Gypsy girl, her family was extremely upset, put a curse on my and I've been this way ever since. Well, there was that one shady year, but I really don't like to ta—"

"What did the spell involve? Do you have a copy of it yourself? Did it only apply to you, or could it be used on any vampire?"

"I'm not sure of all the specifics. The ceremony required an orb of Thesulah, and a Roman text. As far as I know, Willow was the only one with a copy of the spell."

"But surely you must remember some of the language, or know someone who might be able to . . ."

"I'm sorry Tara, but believe me it's better this way. There's a reason it is a called a curse. I have to live with the knowledge that I've killed innocent people, many of which I loved. I have to watch everyone else I care about slowly age and die, while I keep on exist on. I can never experience true happiness, a problem that will never stop haunting me. Would you really want to condemn someone you love to this kid of life?"

"I can't kill her." Tara told him. "I just can't."

"And you won't have to. Buffy will kill her, and her soul and body will both be at rest. It's a pity you came all this way for nothing. I'd invite you to stay the night, but it isn't very safe here," he explained.

"I have a vampire witch stalking me. Anywhere is safer than Sunnydale."

"There haven't been any attacks today," Fred pointed out. "I think the enemies need time to gather their forces."

"I could help, if there's any trouble. It never hurts to have a Wiccan around in a battle," Tara pointed out.

"Well, you've been warned." Angel said. "Do you mind showing her to her room?" he asked Fred.

"This way," Fred told her. There was a slight southern twang to her speech.

The two girls walked up the stairs.

"So this Willow was a good friend of yours? I didn't know her, but I am sorry." Fred said.

"She was everything to me. We were lovers."

"Oh," Fred said, slightly startled. "No one told me. I'm usually the last to know."

"That's ok, it makes some people uncomfortable, so they never really talk about it much."

"It's not that it makes uncomfortable, I just never met a . . . well a—"

"Lesbian?" 

"--Lesbian before," Fred finished. "Don't give me that look. I was in a demon dimension for five years, and was born and raised in Texas. I haven't exactly seen a whole lot of divers'ty."

Tara laughed, "It's ok. I'm the same as anyone else, I just like girls."

"Well that's alright then." Feed said. "Here's your room." She opened the door and showed Tara in. "There's an extra blanket in the closet, 'case you get cold at night." She hesitated a moment. "Look, I can't promise anything, but I'd like to help you. We have a lot of texts here. I could look and see if I could find anythin'. Maybe there's somethin' online. I'm not bad with a computer."

Tara was deeply touched. "Thank you, Winifred."

"Fred. That's what friends call me."

"Fred," Tara corrected. "It means a lot to me."

"Get some shuteye now. Ya had a long drive." Fred gave Tara's hand a little squeeze. "Let me know if there's anything else I can do."

"Well, do you think you could you look through your files and see if there is an address or phone number for a Daniel Osbourn."

"He a friend of yours?"

"No, not exactly," Tara told her, "but I'm hoping he will be."

* * *

Amy's father answered the front door to find Willow and Drusilla arm in arm staring back at him.

"Can I help you girls?" he asked them.

"We're here to see Amy."

"Oh." He never had cared much for his daughter's friends, and these two did nothing to improve his opinion. "She's upstairs in her room." Willow and Dru didn't move. "Well aren't you going to come in?"

"We were so hoping you'd say that," Dru told him. The pair came through the door and vamped out.

"You can have him, I'll take care of the girl," Willow told Dru. "Play safe."

Willow went up the stairs and kicked in Amy's door.

"Willow?" Amy asked. "I heard you were a vampire but I hadn't really believed it. How are things?"

Willow hadn't expected this reaction. She'd started to get used to screaming, begging and pleading.

"I'm good, very good. No pesky soul to keep me down, the super powers are cool and the chicks are great. How are you?"

"Not so good. Rack is gone and Dad's swiped my magic supplies."

"Gee, that's too bad," Willow told her, beginning to feel bored again.

"So, have you come to make me immortal?" Amy asked.

"Uh, sure. That's exactly why I came. Just close your eyes and relax. There may be a slight pinch." Amy did as she was told, and Willow let out a chuckle. Humans were such silly trusting creatures. "Goddess Hecate, work thy will. Before thee let the unclean thing crawl!"

Amy turned back into a rat, and gave Willow an upset squeak. Willow pulled a rattrap out of her pocket and put in the floor.

"There you go Amy, I hope you have fun spending the rest of your life as vermin."

Willow went downstairs. Dru had thrown the man's lifeless body aside.

"This is getting too easy," Willow told her.

"Is my little lamb displeased?" Dru asked.

"Naw, I just need to tackle something a little bigger, that's all. Sweetheart, you've got a blood mustache." Willow rubbed the offensive thing away and kissed Dru. "Come on, let's blow this joint."

* * *

"'Next time there's a ball, ask me before someone else does, and not as a last resort.'" Spike read, in his best Hermione voice.

"Ron you stupid git!" Spike interrupted himself. "Can't you see you're in love with her?"

"Hey, no commentary!" Dawn complained. 

"Well, I think that's quite enough for one night," Spike told her.

"Aw come on, one more chapter?" 

"You said that the last chapter. If we keep this up you'll still be awake by morning and your sister will have my head on a platter."

"Is that possible? I mean if she chops your head off, don't you turn to dust? I suppose she could have your dust on a platter—"

"Don't get smart with me young lady," he warned.

"I'm not that young."

"You're right. I could only be your great bloody grandfather! Not young at all." He cut the rest of her protests short by tickling her, until he heard a yell to stop amongst her peals of laughter.

Dawn fought to catch her breath. "No fair. My defenses were down." She briefly considered a rematch. "Are you ticklish?"

"If I were I'd certainly never tell the likes of you."

She attempted to tickle him back, but with no response. Disappointed, she slumped back on the bed. "I guess not."

"Sorry Nibblet, I'm afraid I have one up on you." Spike gave her a crooked smile. "Now it's time for you to go to sleep."

She reluctantly got under the covers.

"Spike, does it ever make you sad, you know, that you can't have kids?" she asked him.

"No. I mean I never gave it much thought. I'm sure I'd be a horrible father, letting the kids stay up all hours, squandering the family fortune on kittens and sooner or later I'd have to deal with the uncomfortable questions about blood in the fridge. I mean, can you imagine me at a sodding teacher's conference?" Dawn giggled at the idea. "You see, it'd be nothing but trouble. Though I suppose the little tykes would inherit my devilish good looks. You're right. It's a bloody shame."

That made Dawn giggle even more. "It's nice to have you over here, hanging out with me, like we did in the summer," she said. "I mean I know Buffy sent you to baby-sit me but--"

"I reckon you are getting a bit old to be watched so closely, but there are powerful forces of darkness afoot. Your sister just wants you safe."

"I know."

"Tell you what, tomorrow why don't we go out and catch a movie instead?"

"Really?"

"Really. But no chick flicks. And no foreign films either. Preferably something with a bunch of explosions."

Spike leaned over and kissed her on the forehead, pulling up her blanket so that she was warm and snug. "Now get some sleep or at least pretend to sleep so I can tell Buffy you got to bed at a decent hour." He heard the front door open and close. "That's probably her now. Good night Nibblet."

"Good night Spike."

He turned off the light and shut the door.

Buffy was hanging her coat on the coat rack.

"How is she?" Buffy asked.

"Asleep."

"Really? Is that why her light was on?"

"I suppose you wouldn't buy that she was afraid of the dark?" Buffy shook her head. "She'll be out in a second. I just kept her up so she'd be good and tired and . . . sleep better," he finished lamely.

"Honestly, you talk about being big bad, yet you can't even control a fifteen year old."

"Are you kidding, the forces of the supernatural are no match for hormones and mood swings."

"Thanks for watching her, I appreciate it." She gave him a quick little peck on the lips.

"Think nothing of it, Luv." He shoved his hands in his pocket nervously. "So, I suppose I should be going. That is, unless you could think of a reason for me to stay?"

"Spike, we can't."

She's probably going to say it's all been a horrible mistake, Spike thought, and how it'll never happen again. Why'd I have to fall for the most hot and cold girl in all of Sunnydale?

"Not here." Buffy continued. "Dawn, will hear us."

Spikes mood brightened considerably. So that's what was

bothering her, was it?

"She's asleep," he said.

"We'll wake her."

"I can be quiet." He thought about it. "Though judging from experience you can't be."

Spike was looking at her in a way that made here feel tingly all over. Damn him, she thought, I know I said I wanted to have feelings, but I didn't want to have to be so dependent on them.

"There are other rooms in the house than the bedroom, Luv," he whispered in her ear. "The kitchen, the living room . . ."

"The basement," she told him, practically dragging him down there with her.

"Good thing it isn't flooded anymore," he said, following her down the steps.

* * *

"I'm sorry Anya, I've had a lot of things on my mind lately, a few of them are more important than planning a wedding!" Xander said.

"It's not just a wedding," Anya protested, "it's *our* wedding. And if you're going to tell me that vampires and evil villains are sufficient to delay our matrimonial plans, then you might as well say we're never getting married. We're in Sunnydale, there's always evil around!"

"Look we're still going to get married. I just need some time to grieve for my best friend. Surely you can understand that."

"We could at least have the bridal shower, send out invitations or something." Anya suggested helpfully, before switching into full pouting mode. "The delay in announcing the engagement nearly killed me. If we delay the big event any further, I think I really will die. Or I'll at least make sure you do!"

Xander threw his hands up in frustration. "Fine, have it your way, send out invitations, have your shower. I'm leaving everything entirely in your hands. Just tell me the date and I'll show up in a Tux, ok?"

"Well what about you? Don't you want a Bachelor Party or anything?" Anya asked.

"No, no bachelor party. I promised Willow she could throw it for me. Without her, it would just be too hard."

"Willow. Always Willow." Anya was furious. "Sometimes I wonder if you didn't like her more than you liked me! I heard all about you your little rendezvous' in high school. Are you sure it wasn't her you wanted to marry?"

"Anya," Xander said, his tone cold, "I love you, but if you don't shut up this right now, there isn't going to be a wedding."

Anya bit her lip. That was not the answer she had hoped for.

* * *

Spike and Buffy lay on Spike's trench coat, which he had fashioned into a makeshift blanket.

"Are you cold, Luv?" he asked her.

"You'd think I would be, wouldn't you? Yet whenever I'm with you I seem to feel oddly warm." Buffy smiled at him.

"Glad to hear it," he said. She had no idea how glad he was to hear it. "Does that mean you don't mind, about us I mean?"

"Of course I mind, but I'm not sure what to do about it. Maybe I should check into a Nymphomaniacs Anonymous or something."

"Yes, a capital idea. Put a whole bunch of horny people together in a room to talk about their sexual escapades. That'll cure them all."

Buffy laughed.

"I love hearing your laugh," he told her. "I don't hear it nearly enough these days."

He always does this, Buffy thought, just when I need to hate him the most he'll go and say something incredibly sweet and get me feeling all mushy and romantic.

Buffy found herself kissing Spike again, but stopped as soon as she realized what she was doing.

"No! No rematch," she said.

"Buffy . . ."

"Look, maybe another time. I need sleep. I'm not going to roll around with you down here until sunrise."

"Alright, I'll go. I CAN take a hint." Spike fumbled around for his clothes. Thankfully, Buffy hadn't torn them too badly this time. He was beginning to worry that shagging the Slayer was going to require an extensive wardrobe.

"Are you coming by tomorrow?"

Spike nodded, "I'm taking Dawn to a movie."

Buffy frowned. "I'm not so sure that's a good idea."

"The girl stays cooped up inside too long. Don't worry, we'll bring some stakes, and maybe a little holy water."

"That's not what I meant." Buffy debated whether or not to tell him about Dawn's crush.

Spike caught on to her train of thought. "What, you're afraid I'm going to two-time you?" He chuckled at her outraged expression. "No danger of that Luv, I'm hooked on you. You're a part of me now and there's not a thing I can do about it. But here I am yammering the night away. I believe I was leaving so you could catch up on your beauty rest?"

Buffy showed him up to the front door. "Goodnight Spike."

"Goodnight Slayer."

Buffy closed the door and turned around to find a very groggy Dawn coming down the stairs.

"Is Spike just now leaving?" Dawn asked. "I thought he left hours ago."

"We had some things to discuss. What are you doing up anyway?"

"I was thirsty."

"What, the sink in your bathroom doesn't work? It had better after all the money we put into those pipes."

"The sink works fine. But tap water? Ick! This girl drinks only bottled water, thank you very much." She pulled a bottle out of the refrigerator and tried to unscrewed the cap one-handed. Buffy took the bottle and did it for her. "So what were you talking about anyway?"

"Nothing that concerns you."

"You weren't fighting again, were you?" Dawn looked worried.

"No." They hadn't been, not really.

"So you guys made up?"

"Yes. Several times." Whoops! One more Freudian slip like that and she was going to have a world of explaining to do.

"I'm glad." Dawn felt greatly relieved.

"You really like Spike, don't you?" Buffy asked.

"Well yeah," Dawn replied. "He's nice and funny and—"

"Cute?"

Dawn giggled. "Very cute. And when he reads me stories, he does all the voices."

"So you aren't afraid he's going to find a way to deactivate his chip and murder us all with a smile on his face?"

"Are you kidding? Spike?!" Dawn asked skeptically. "He'd never hurt me or you. I would have thought that was obvious."

"Why not?"

"Because he cares about us, duh." Dawn told her. "Now innocent civilians might be another story, but you know, I almost think he wouldn't hurt them either."

"My little sister, the eternal optimist."

"Come on, you don't really think he's that bad either, or you wouldn't leave me with alone him," Dawn pointed out.

"What I think, is that you better get bed. I'm not having you staying up all night and sleeping late anymore. School starts in a few days, and you need to be able to get up in the morning."

"You stay up."

"I have a night job."

"Fine, I was going to go back to bed in a minute anyway."

"Come on, I'll tuck you in."

Upstairs once more, Buffy gave Dawn a little hug.

"You. In bed. Now. Asleep." She told her.

Dawn got back under her blankets.

"Buffy?" she asked.

"That doesn't sound like sleeping."

"Do you miss Willow?"

That stopped Buffy in her tracks. She sat down on the bed. "Of course I miss Willow. We all do."

"Do you think her soul, wherever it is, do you think it's happy?"

"I don't know Dawn. I hope so."

"I was so mean to her, before she died. I was horrible."

"You were upset about what had happened with the demon and your arm. It was understandable," Buffy told her.

"Do you think she knew I still loved her?"

"Yes," Buffy reassured her. "She knew. And she loved you very much as well. You know that."

"I hope she's ok, wherever she is."

"I'm sure she is." Buffy thought briefly of Heaven. "Now, go to sleep."

* * *

Tara woke up to a knock at her door.

"Good mornin'," Fred said, "I hope I didn't wake ya."

"It's ok, I should be getting up anyway."

"I've found a text about restorin' souls, but I don't know if it's the one you're lookin' for, or if it's authentic," Fred told Tara.

Tara took the text. "This is wonderful. Thank you."

Tara hugged Fred, who hugged her back. Their embrace lingered for a second.

" I just hope that it works." Fred told her.

"Me too, but even if it doesn't I can't thank you enough for helping me."

"Aw shucks. It was nothin'."

"How did you find it?"

"Well I was online last night, and I sorta stumbled across it."

Tara noticed the dark circles under Fred's eyes. She guessed quite correctly that Fred had been up all night searching. "Thank you."

"Oh, and I almost forgot, here's your friend's 

address. No phone number though."

"Thanks again."

"Look, you take care, ok? And let me know if it works. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you."

Tara smiled. "You take care of yourself too. We'll keep in touch."

Fred returned her smile. "You can bet on it."

* * *

Buffy and Anya were in the Bridal shop. Anya came out of the dressing room.

"Well, what do you think? Is it me?" Anya asked.

The white dress was exceptionally small, revealing a great deal of leg and cleavage.

"Um, Anya you might want to pick a dress that leaves a bit more to the imagination," Buffy replied.

"Buffy please. Xander has seen me naked more often than with clothes on. It's not as if he actually has to USE his imagination."

"Ok," Buffy said, closing her eyes "getting an uncomfortable mental image right now."

"But I look good right? Because that's the point, to look good, so that the photos and the video will look good."

"You look great. Vaguely Britney Spearish, but great." Buffy told her.

"Then it's all settled, and we just need to pick out the bridesmaids' outfits," Anya said, looking exceptionally happy.

"Bridesmaids' outfits?!"

* * *

"Hello Luv," Spike said as Buffy came storming in. He managed to move into the shadows in time to avoid the brief burst of sunlight. "Couldn't stay away could you?"

"Aren't you supposed to be asleep right now?"

"Not a chance Pet. Passions is on." Buffy looked towards the television, where Tabitha and Timmy were discussing the demise of one of Charity's relationship. She rolled her eyes. "But I'll turn it off for you." He switched the TV off. "Having a hard day?"

"I went shopping." 

"Thought you liked shopping. You're always wearing those brand new, height of fashion outfits."

"Shopping with Anya."

"That a bad thing?"

"You have NO idea."

Spike went over to her. "So, are you looking for a little distraction?"

"No," Buffy told him. "Well maybe."

* * *

Tara rang the doorbell. The address apparently was correct. Oz answered.

"Tara?!" he asked. "Look I'm very glad that you and Willow are happy, but I hope you'll understand if I don't really want to be around you." He paused, slightly confused. "How'd you find me anyway?"

"Angel."

"I knew I shouldn't have left a forwarding address. Enjoy LA. Bye." Oz started to close the door, but Tara stopped him.

"It's about Willow!"

Oz looked at her. "What about her? Is she in trouble?"

"She's a vampire."

"I see."

"I know I'm not exactly your favorite person, but you need to listen to me. You could be in danger. She's been going after the people she loved in life first."

"Like you?"

Tara nodded. "She never stopped loving you, you know. You'd be on the top of her list."

"Thank you for the warning, but I can take care of myself." He began to close the door again.

"There's more. I think I might have a way to return her soul, but I don't know if the spell is right. I need your help, if you are willing to offer it." Tara looked at him with pleading eyes.

"I'd do anything to help Willow." He held up a cross to test Tara. She passed the test, for it had no ill effect on her. "Come in."

She handed him the text. "Here's what I have."

He looked it over. "It's real. At least it certainly looks the same. I think the missing words are: 'Doamne' and 'Acum.'"

"You remember the words from the actual text?" Tara asked. She was impressed.

"Some of them. It was a memorable experience. So, what are we waiting for? Lets do the spell."

"The orb. We need an orb of Thesulah. I don't have one. I think there might be one at the Magic Box."

"Oh." He got up and walked into the other room.

"Where are you going?"

"To pack. I'm coming back with you to Sunnydale."

* * *

Buffy lay handcuffed to Spike's bed.

"Don't hurt me," she said.

"Why shouldn't I? I am evil." Spike told her with a sneer.

"But the chip? You changed!"

"Sorry Babe, the Big Bad is back."

Buffy burst out laughing.

"Buffy!" Spike protested.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, but alliteration much?"

"You're ruining the mood," Spike complained.

"Just shut up and kiss me already!" Buffy told him.

Why not? Spike told himself.

"Right then."

Spike fell onto the bed next to her, showering her with kisses. His mouth slowly traveled down the nape of her neck.

The door burst open.

"Spike, have you seen Buffy?" Xander asked. Then he spotted the two of them. "Oh. Oh my God!" he said.


	5. Till Death Do Us Part

Till Death Do Us Part

"Bugger all!" Spike yelled, as he began to smoke from the sunlight. He jumped into the shadows. "Doesn't anyone ever knock around here?"

Xander swore under his breath. "You bastard."

He jumped on top of Spike, and began punching him. Spike punched him back, sending Xander flying across the room. The vampire grabbed his head in pain. "Bloody chip."

"Stop it you two," Buffy told them. Unfortunately, she was still handcuffed to the bed, and as a result was immobilized.

"Are you insane, Buffy?" Xander said. "Captain Peroxide has gotten away with far too much for far too long. He was trying to bite you Buffy. I saw it. And now I'm going relocate him to an ashtray." Xander looked around for something wooden.

Buffy sighed. So Xander thought Spike had been trying to bite her. It was time for her to fess up.

"Xander, calm down and shut the door. Spike wasn't attacking me. Spike, would you do me a favor and uncuff me before anyone else gets pummeled?"

Xander hesitantly complied, and Spike unlocked the handcuffs. Buffy rubbed at her wrists, which were red and sore. Next time, she thought to herself, I'll make sure Spike the one who is chained up.

"If he wasn't attacking you, then what were you two . . ." Xander's eyes grew wide with shock and newfound understanding. "Buffy, tell me you and he aren't . . ."

Spike jumped in, attempting to be helpful. "I was just helping her with her training is all. It's important for a Slayer to be able to defend herself when restrained."

"Spike?!" Xander said. "Not buying it."

"Right, you caught me," Spike answered. "I built another Buffy-bot. I'm a sick vamp, I know. I need help."

"Spike, it's ok." Buffy said. "Xander, we are . . ." Buffy searched for the best way to say it, "an item."

"If that's what you want to call it Luv," Spike said.

"No," Xander said, "this is not happening. Buffy are you insane? He's evil, and a *vampire*. With Angel, I could almost understand. He had a soul . Spike doesn't. God, I fell sick even thinking about it."

To Buffy's surprise, she felt angry rather than ashamed.

"I'm a grown-up," Buffy said, "I can sleep with whoever I want. And I hardly think you're one to be dealing out relationship advice, Mr. I'm-marrying-an-ex-demon."

"That's different. Notice the ex before demon. And Anya was never my arch nemesis. This isn't like you Buffy, and it isn't right."

"It's exactly like her. Never been one to go after the nice, normal boys, has she?" Spike told him.

"Shut up Spike!" Xander said.

"Xander, I lo— I care about him." Buffy wasn't sure who was more shocked, Xander, Spike or herself.

"Fine, have your evil monster, see it I care. He's going to hurt you Buffy, and when he does, don't come running to me because I might just not be there." He stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

"Buffy . . ." Spike started.

"Not right now Spike," she said. "Look, just come by the house tonight, ok?"

She ran after Xander.

Spike sat down on the bed in a daze. She started to say she loved me, Spike thought. Buffy loves me, she really does. He started to grin, until the thought was replaced by a less happy one. Now that the Scoobies will know, she's bound to break it off. Why can't I ever win?

* * *

Buffy caught up with Xander, and grabbed him by the arm.

"Xander, please try to understand."

He turned to face her, his expression cold. "I'm sorry Buffy, but I don't understand. I'm not sure I ever will, and I just can't be around you right now."

"Don't tell the others," Buffy told him.

He didn't respond. Buffy let him go.

* * *

Willow was kicking the walls in the abandoned warehouse.

"Dru, I'm bored!" Willow pouted. "I hate the daytime, all cooped up in here. Happy, sunny people are running around outside and there's not a thing I can do to dismember them. It just isn't fair!"

She crept up behind Dru, putting her arms around her. "Can you think of anything to pass the time, Princess?"

"Shhh," Dru told her. She was rearranging her dolls. "The children are sleeping."

"Uh, Dru? I hate to break it to you, but those are TOYS! They don't sleep, they get their heads chewed off by toddlers." Willow ripped the head off of one of them to demonstrate. "See?"

"You hurt her," Dru complained. "That's not nice. You're going to be punished for your wickedness."

"Really?" Willow asked suggestively, hoping it was some sort of sexual game.

But Drusilla wasn't interested. "Did she hurt you Precious?" Dru asked the headless doll.

Willow rolled her eyes. "I have *got* to get away from this nut job!" she said.

* * *

That evening, Buffy felt nervous. She had called the Scoobies together, but wasn't sure if she would be able to go through with her announcement. Xander was still giving her the evil eye, and Dawn and Anya were wondering what the hold up was.

"I'm waiting for Spike," she told them. "He should hear this too."

"He's probably off doing something evil and couldn't bother to show. Him being an evil vampire and all," Xander said, shooting her a dirty look.

The door opened, but it was Tara and Oz who came in, not Spike.

"Oz!" Xander said, momentarily forgetting to be angry. "Boy have I missed you. Where have you been?"

"Around," Oz replied.

"Well," Xander prodded further, "What have you been up to?"

"Stuff."

Xander smiled. "Good old Oz."

Buffy gave Oz a hug. "It's good to see you again."

"You too. I heard you died. That's harsh."

"Well, I'm back now, better than ever." That was a total lie, and Buffy knew it. But she didn't want to be all gloomy. She hadn't seen the guy in ages.

"I told him about W-willow," Tara said. "He's going to help." She held her copy of the spell. The missing words had been penciled in. "W-we're going to return her soul, if we can. Anya, have we got an Orb of Thesulah at the Magic Box?"

Anya thought about it. "I think we might, but if not I could special order it. You'll have to pay for the shipping and handling though."

"Fine. I'll do whatever it takes." Tara replied.

Spike came in, and noticed them all gathered around. "New big bad on the loose?" he asked.

"Oh good, Spike you're here. Now Buffy can make her announcement, whatever it is," Anya said.

"Um guys, isn't Spike evil? Shouldn't we be staking him?" Oz asked, clearly confused.

"I'll second that," Xander mumbled.

"He's good now. There's a chip in his head that keeps him from killing people," Dawn explained.

"Oh," Oz said. His tone changed to friendly. "Hey Spike."

"Oz, mate! Good to see you! Still get all wolfy?"

"Occasionally."

"Good old Oz," Spike said. "What's this about an announcement?"

Buffy was stuck now. It seemed trivial in light of the Willow situation, but if she didn't do it now she knew she never would. Buffy went over to Spike and took his hand. Spike began to piece together what kind of announcement she had in mind.

"Spike and I are in love," Buffy said.

Spike's heart skipped a beat. At least it would have if it actually beat at all. She had finally really said it. In love.

"Wait a minute, you mean Spike is your boyfriend now or something?" Anya asked skeptically.

Spike looked at Buffy. "Am I?"

"Yes," Buffy said.

Spike would have done a little dance for joy, except for that it would have been extremely unmanly and probably have permanently ruined his image.

"I really should keep in touch better," Oz told the others.

"I don't believe this," was Dawn's response. Her eyes filled with tears as she ran upstairs to her room and locked the door behind her.

"I think she took that well." Buffy said. She looked anything but happy.

"I'll go talk to her," Tara told Buffy. "I'm happy for you both. If you love each other, then you should be together." She meant it. She knew she was probably in the minority but she liked Spike, and Buffy deserved a little happiness.

"Thanks Tara, but I think I better handle this," Buffy replied. She went upstairs and knocked on Dawn's door.

"Dawn, we need to talk."

"I don't want to talk. Go away."

"If you'd only just listen . . ."

"No YOU listen. I want to be alone. By myself. As far from you as possible. Nothing you could possibly say will make a difference."

"Step aside Luv." Spike was standing beside her. "Nibblet, can I come in? Please?"

Dawn hesitated. "Is Buffy still there?"

Buffy, hurt and defeated, backed down the stairs.

"She's gone."

"Ok, you can come in. But JUST you."

She unlocked the door. Spike followed her in. Her face was wet from crying.

"Here," he said, handing her a tissue. "Do you hate me, Lil Bit?"

"No. Buffy's the one I hate right now. She knows how I feel about you, and she didn't even ask me about it."

"I'm sure she just didn't think. This all happened sort of suddenly."

"She never thinks about anyone other than herself, least of all me."

"She's had a hard year."

"That's no excuse."

He looked her in the eye. "If you're going to be mad at someone, let it be me. I was the one who kept pursuing her, kept trying to win her over."

"I never said I wasn't mad at you Spike. How could you not tell me? I thought we were friends."

"We are friends Nibblet. Of course we're friends. But I promised her I wouldn't tell anyone, and I never break a promise to a lady."

"Does that mean Buffy's more important to you than I am?" Dawn asked between sniffles.

"Don't be a brat," he told her, hugging her tightly. "You're the most important thing in the world to me. You were the first one to ever believe in me, weren't you? The first to give me a chance. I don't forget that sort of thing. Tell you what, I'll always put you a little ahead of the others. That's a promise. Just don't tell Big Sis, ok? It'll be our little secret."

"Ok." Dawn crying had stopped and she was only lightly sniffing.

"Do me a favor and try to forgive her. I know you're upset, but as many mistakes as she's made, she's done just as much to prove she loves you. I do recall her dying for you once. Give her a second chance."

"I'll think about it."

"That's my Bit."

Spike stayed and comforted her until she felt better. When he came out of Dawn's room, Buffy was waiting for him.

"I can't win," she said. "Either I'm horrible to you, and you hate me, or I make things right with you and everyone else hates me."

"She'll come around. They all will."

"I just hope this is worth it."

"Isn't it?" he asked.

"I don't know." She held tight to him.

"You stood up for me, with Xander and the others. I can't tell you what that means to me. It's everything."

"Just hold me a while, ok?" Buffy asked.

He rested his head on her shoulders, and savored the embrace. "Will do Luv, will do."

* * *

Xander was fuming as he and Anya walked back home.

"Spike deserves to be pulverized. No, death is too good for him. He should live a life of torment," Xander ranted on. "Torture him with his own railroad spikes. It'll be poetic!"

"Why, for being Buffy's orgasm buddy? That seems rather harsh," Anya pointed out. "It's not like you couldn't see it coming."

"What?!"

"Well they fought too much. The sexual tension was building between them. They were bound to hook up sooner or later. Come to think of it, you fight with Spike too. You're not planning on being orgasm buddies with him, are you?"

Xander gave her a look of revulsion. "I think I'm going to be sick."

"Why should you care who Buffy dates anyway? You aren't still infatuated with her, are you?"

"No," he said. He wasn't anymore, not really. He supposed the crush he had harbored for so long would always linger on a little.

"You are, aren't you?" Anya fumed. "Who's next on your list, Dawn? What is it with you and all these other women?!"

"Yes," Willow said, appearing from the shadows, "what is it about those women? I loved you once, and you repaid me with stolen kisses and running back to the She-bitch." Willow wagged a finger at him, approaching ever closer. "You naughty, naughty boy."

"See what I mean?" Anya agreed.

"Willow, whatever's left of you knows that you don't want to do this," he told her, backing away and searching his pockets for a stake.

"Oh, I want to do this," Willow replied. She grabbed a hold of him, running her hand slowly down his body and reaching for . . . his pocket. She pulled out the stake, snapped it in half and tossed it aside. She nibbled on his earlobe lightly. "I'm not going to hurt you, Xander, not yet. I just want a little *taste*. Don't worry, the fiancé can watch."

"Hey, I know you're evil and all, but aren't you gay? Shouldn't that keep you from man-stealing?" Anya asked her.

Willow raised a hand and sent Anya flying backward, into a tree, where she was knocked unconscious. She leaned is and kissed him, but not the sweet kisses they had shared in their past fling in High School. She kissed him as if she wanted to eat him alive, which was pretty much the case.

Must fight back, Xander's mind cried. Meanwhile, the rest of him kind of liked it.

"What would Drusilla say?" Xander asked, breathing heavily. 

"Dru can bite me," Willow replied. "Oh that's right, she already did." She began to run her tongue slowly across his cheek.

He tried to pull away.

"Willow, let's be rational." It was a bad choice of words. Vampires were known for being anything *but* rational.

"I want, I take. Very rational." She continued on, her hand straying to other places it hadn't ventured before. In a final burst of will power, Xander produced a bottle of holy water that Willow had thankfully not yet discovered, and opened it. He succeeded in drenching himself more than he did Willow, but a portion of it splashed Willow's naughty hands.

"You prick!" she yelled, inspecting the damage. "You've ruined my nail polish! And I had gotten it all pretty too!" She held up her hand, which looked raw. Only one of the nails remained unscathed, with black polish and red sparkly rose still intact. "I was *going* to offer you eternal life. I was *going* to be gentle, but forget it. It's going to hurt, a lot, and you're not coming back." She kneed him in the groin, and walked away with an evil smile upon her lips. "Have a nice wedding, Xander."

* * *

"The lost Lamb is back so soon?" Dru asked.

"Mortals are scum," Willow answered. "I'm sticking with you girl. So, you got any plans that don't include dolls?"

* * *

The next morning, Dawn found Buffy in the kitchen, holding a large box of Krispy Kremes in her hands.

"I come bearing peace offerings," Buffy said hopefully. "Are you talking to me again, or should I just go and leave the donuts?

"We can talk," Dawn reluctantly replied.

"I can understand the other's reactions, they hate him. But you, you like Spike. I thought you'd be okay with this."

"The problem is that I *do* like him."

"Oh." Buffy began to get the message. "I stole the guy you like, didn't I? Dawn, I didn't think . . ."

"No, you didn't. You didn't think about how it would effect me at all. You're my sister, he's my friend. I mean, if you guys break up, then what? I don't wanna have to take sides, because Buffy I'm not necessarily going to side with you."

"Dawn, I'm sorry. Look, if you feel that strongly about it I wont."

"Won't what?"

"Date Spike." Buffy felt sick. She wondered once more why she always had to pick the most difficult men to fall for."

" Do you really love him, Buffy?" Dawn asked.

"I do."

"I know that he loves you. Just don't mess this up Buffy. Spike deserves better than that. And you are never, ever again allowed to criticize anyone I date. Ever!" Dawn added.

Buffy nodded. "Gotcha. Are we good now?"

"We're good." Dawn looked towards the donuts. "So, did you get any of the jelly filled?"

* * *

That afternoon, Xander told the others of his encounter with the vampire Willow.

"Wait a minute," Buffy said. "You made out with her?"

"Correction," Xander answered. "She made out with me. I didn't really have a lot of choice in the matter, if you get my meaning."

"Here you are, giving me a hard time over Spike, and then two minutes later you're smooching Willow. I don't believe you!"

"Give me a break Buff. I mean who here hasn't swapped saliva with a vampire at least once?" Xander asked.

Tara and Dawn both looked towards the ground, as did Anya.

"Anya?" Xander was a little concerned. "Tell me you haven't . . ."

"Dracula and I were friends for hundreds of years. You can't expect to be friends with someone of the opposite sex for that long without having a few small indiscretions."

Xander was not amused. "I suppose it was the thrall then, was it?"

"Oh grow up, Willow kisser." Anya shot back.

"Uh, guys," Oz said, raising his hand. "I've never kissed a vampire."

"Stick around," Buffy told him, "I'm sure you'll get your chance."

"The point is," Xander said, continuing his original train of thought, "she implied that she had something planned for the wedding, and my guess is that it isn't a toaster."

"So we need too return her soul to her before then," Tara replied. "Or else we could be in trouble, big trouble."

"That'll be hard to do," Anya told them. "I checked at the Magic Box. There's no orb in stock, and the one I ordered won't be in for at least three days. With the wedding on tomorrow . . ."

"What?!" the other five Scoobies interrupted.

"The wedding is tomorrow? How could you not tell me this?" Xander asked, clearly furious.

"You didn't want to be involved in the planning. You said to just tell you the date and you'd show up with a Tux!"

"I didn't mean to tell me on the actual day of the wedding!"

"Anya, do you think you could have told the rest of us about this a little sooner?" Tara suggested.

"Why? It's not like any of you have got big plans or anything. That reminds me, the rehearsal is in an hour, at the church, you're all coming right?"

The dazed and confused Scoobies reluctantly agreed.

* * *

Spike stopped by the Summers' house that evening.

"Buffy, you home?" he asked.

"Just a minute, I'm in my room!"

Buffy came down stairs decked out in a hideous bridesmaid outfit. She gave Spike a grimace. "What do you think?" she asked him.

Spike tried to be positive. "Well it's really, I mean it's just so . . ."

"Orange?"

Spike nodded. "Yeah, that'd be the word I was looking for."

"The weddings tomorrow, and I have the privilege of wearing this *thing*," Buffy complained. "No one looks good in orange, and I mean no one. That's why they put everyone in prison in it, to lower their morale. Anya probably just picked it so to make herself look better by comparison."

"Darling," Spike told her, "you worry too much. Trust me, you could wear a potato sack and still look gorgeous."

"Do you really mean that?" Buffy asked him.

"Do you really have to ask?" He smiled at her crookedly. "So, what should *I* wear then? I have a lovely selection of black, and more black . . ."

"Probably something with a blanket in the mix. The ceremony is in the middle of the afternoon."

"Oh, that was considerate of them."

"Well, it means less chance of a confrontation with Willow. And you're not exactly Xander's favorite person in the world right now."

"No, I suppose not. A blanket it is then." He began toying with her hair. "That really is an awful dress. We must get it off you at once."

Buffy laughed. "Most definitely. The offensive thing must be removed." She pulled him in for a kiss. Spike played with the zipper on the back of the dress.

The couple was interrupted by a very British, "My dear Lord."

"Giles!" Buffy pulled away from Spike and threw her arms around her former Watcher.

"It's good to see you too Buffy," he said, returning her hug. He then had to struggle to break her grip. "Erm Buffy, your slayer strength is cutting off my circulation."

"Sorry, I just really missed you." Boy had she. Some of the worst moments of her life had occurred, and for the first time Giles hadn't been there to help her through them.

"Perhaps I came in at a bad time?" he suggested. Buffy couldn't figure out why he kept throwing troubled glanced at her and Spike, until she remembered that he had not been there when they had announced their newfound status.

"Giles, Spike is my boyfriend now."

"Oh, I see." It was clear from the tone in his voice that he really didn't. "Have there been many spells done here recently?"

"It's not any spell," Spike informed him, putting his arm around Buffy.

"I'm afraid he's right Giles. It's the real thing."

"Hey," Spike said.

"You did always have unusual taste in men," Giles replied.

"Hey!" Spike repeated.

"Tell me about it," Buffy replied. "I certainly never thought I'd end up with someone named William the Bloody."

"I am standing right here you know," Spike informed them.

"A fact I am well aware of, Spike," Giles said. "I couldn't help but notice. I should probably return to the hotel, and leave the two of you alone."

"You're not staying here?" Buffy asked.

"As charmed as I am by the notion of spending a night on the couch, I wouldn't want to inconvenience you. No, I dare say I'll just have to suffer in a king sized bed with room service."

"Giles," Buffy teased, "you used sarcasm!"

"Yes, while retirement has pushed my life in new and exciting directions and I've picked a few things up." He took a few steps toward the door and then turned around. "Willow's a vampire, Buffy's kissing Spike and wearing unflattering colors, what else has changed? Is the chill outside of natural origin, or has Hell frozen over as well?"

"Didn't you have a hotel to get to?" Spike asked him.

If looks could kill, Buffy's glare would have dusted him.

"On second thought, perhaps I should be the one to go. You two have got a lot of catching up to do." Spike gave Buffy a wink and a kiss goodbye. "Catch you later, Luv." He extended his hand to Giles, who reluctantly took it for an awkward handshake. "Nice to see you Giles."

"You too Spike, I'm sure." Giles watched Spike leave, and shook his head. "That one never ceases to amaze me."

"Sit down," Buffy said. "Do you want anything? A cup of tea?"

"That would be wonderful," Giles told her, plopping down on the couch.

Buffy went into the kitchen, and came out with a glass of milk. "We're out of tea, but it's a beverage. I mean you guys put milk in your tea, right?"

"Right." Giles accepted the glass. "Well this is fine. Calcium, strong bones and all. Very important."

Buffy sat down beside him. "So England, it's nice? You like it there?"

"It is more restful than Sunnydale, I must say. There are many advantages to living in a place without a Hellmouth in close proximity."

"Yeah, I guess there would be." Buffy noticed that Giles was acting more flustered than usual. She looked him in the eye. "Are you disappointed in me?" she asked.

"Don't be ridiculous. Why could I possibly be disappointed about?" Giles replied. "On top of your slayer duties, you've been handling the most difficult task of raising a teenager. I couldn't be more proud of you."

"I mean about me and Spike."

Giles blinked a few times in rapid succession. "I'll confess, he's not exactly my ideal match for you. I would much prefer to see you settle down with a nice, normal fellow. But then again, you aren't exactly a normal girl yourself, now are you?"

"No, I'm not," Buffy answered.

"The thing I want most in this world is for you to be happy. Does he make you happy?"

"You know, he does, in a strange way. I can be myself around him."

"But not around your friends?" Giles asked.

"No. Well, maybe around you." Buffy shot Giles a look of mock seduction. "You wanna make out?"

Giles took her hand. "Buffy, you're a lovely young lady and I'm sorely tempted, but I'm afraid, it would give me a horrid case of the 'Benjamin Braddock's.

Buffy wrinkled her nose. "Huh?"

"A small joke. References to The Graduate are pretty much going to be lost on you, I suppose."

Buffy smiled.

"It's good to see you smile again," he told her. "It's been a long time."

"It's not exactly a happy life, is it, being a Slayer?"

"No it isn't," Giles admitted, "but I have faith in you. You've always defied the odds."

"I'm glad you're here," Buffy told him. "It's good to have the old gang back. Oz and then you, all we need now is Cordelia, Angel and a library."

"Oz is back? I hadn't heard. Good old Oz." Giles said.

"Yeah, that's been the general response."

"Can I assume that Oz's reappearance in Sunnydale is somehow related to the vampirification of Willow?"

Buffy nodded. "He and Tara want to try the re-souling spell, but we don't have any Orbs of Thesbia--"

"--Thesulah," Giles corrected.

"--so we have to wait. Giles, I'm scared. I can handle vampire super strength. But Willow, she has magic, a lot of it. You saw how bad she was getting as a mortal before you left. Now that she's a vampire, I'm thinking no soul means no self restraint."

"I have been extremely concerned about that myself, which is why I brought an Orb of Thesulah with me on the off chance you had found an alternate copy of the spell."

Buffy really could have kissed Giles. "You have one with you! Then we can do the spell right away."

"It's back at the hotel. What do you say we reconvene there in an hour or so?"

"Well, Oz and Tara are still at the wedding rehearsal. Everyone is. The wedding, it's tomorrow!"

"A fact of which I am well aware. Why do you think I'm back in Sunnydale?"

"The low property costs?" Buffy ventured to guess.

"Hardly. Why aren't you at the rehearsal?"

"I cut out early to do some patrolling."

"In that outfit?" Giles exclaimed. "You'll stand out like a beacon. Have I taught you nothing?!"

"Relax Giles, I'll go change right now. Write Tara and Oz a note. I'm going to make sure you get back to your hotel safe, sound and Willow free."

* * *

After walking Giles to his hotel, Buffy swung by Spike's crypt. Magic always made her feel all itchy, and it wasn't as if she was going to be any help with the gypsy curse anyway.

Spike looked happy to see her. "You and Rupert all caught up then?" he asked.

"Yeah. It was good, just to talk with him again."

"Hope we didn't give him too much of a nasty shock back there," he said.

"Actually, he's been surprisingly supportive."

"You don't say? I would have figured he'd have been over here by now, threatening to stake me if I ever thought about biting you." Spike commented.

"Oh puh-lease. I can stake my own vampires thank-you-very-much. Which brings me to the topic at hand, patrolling. You game?"

"I'm always up for some demon bashing," Spike told her. "What do you say we go to the Bronze. Maybe we could squeeze in a drink or a dance between kills."

"What, you mean like a date?" she asked.

"Well, I *am* you're boyfriend now, as rumor has it."

"Well then, the Bronze it is."

Buffy and Spike walked hand in hand. It was chilly out, so Buffy had borrowed Spike's trench coat. Spike thought she looked absolutely great in it. As they walked, Buffy's mind began to stray.

"Spike," Buffy said at last, "DO you think about biting me?" Buffy asked. "I mean I'm sure it must have crossed your mind."

"Of course it's crossed my mind, Pet, but there are other things I'd much prefer to do to you." To Spike's surprise, Buffy looked a little hurt. "Why, do . . . do you want to be bit?"

"No," Buffy said. She wasn't a hundred percent convincing. "Are you kidding? I mean, been there, done that before."

"What?!" Spike stopped in his tracks. "When? By whom?"

"Well, Angel and then Dracula."

"I don't believe you. If Angelus had bit you he would have spilled. The bloke was always one to bite and tell."

"Not Angelus, Angel. Faith poisoned him, and the only cure was to drain a slayer."

"Ok, I can understand that, but Dracula? That wanker?"

"He had me under thrall."

"Thrall," he scoffed. "A likely story. You with your wild tales of hypnotism and thrall."

"Wait a minute, are you jealous?" Buffy asked.

"Me, jealous? Don't be ridiculous."

"You are, aren't you?"

"Maybe a little."

"Look, I love you. So you wanna bite me, go ahead." Buffy exposed her neck to him.

Spike was tempted, but passed. "Nah, everyone's already been there. It's lost its thrill."

"Well excuse me, but I do believe you've been with quite a few necks yourself. Or was that all locker room talk?"

"I don't need to talk. I've seen way more neck than sodding Dracula."

"So what's with the double standard?"

She had him there. "Neck slut."

"Neck pimp," she shot back.

"What, I don't sell necks!" Buffy began to punch at his chest playfully. "Hey!" He caught her hands in his, and pulled her arms around him.

"I'd bite you in a second love, if it weren't for the fact I wouldn't want to change a single thing about you. Now let's get to the Bronze. You owe me a dance."

When they got to the Bronze, they found that the dance floor was already occupied by Willow and Drusilla, who were giving a whole new meaning to the phrase 'dirty dancing.' 

Spike looked disgusted. "Of course we would run into my ex on the first date." He watched Willow grope at her. "Can't they bloody well get a room?"

The song finished and the two she-vamps approached them.

"Put that stake down, Buffy," Willow said in her sweetest sounding voice. "There's no need to get violent."

"What do you want Willow?" Buffy asked.

"How about a drink? No, not blood Buffy, I know what your thinking. The blood will come later, in a downpour. I'm thinking vodka, straight up." Willow ordered four from the bartender. "Let's drink to newfound love." She drained hers.   
The other drinks remained untouched.

"Good to see you again Dru," Spike told her, anything but sincere.

"Poor little Spike, pet of the Slayer," Dru answered. "So loyal, so good, what's happened to you?" 

"Just wised up is all." Spike replied.

"Gee Spike, isn't that fascinating. It's been great seeing you both, really it has," Willow said, obviously unhappy that her girlfriend was making small talk with an old flame. "We should do it again sometime. Oh wait, silly me you'll be dead. You two little lovebirds enjoy your last day of your lives and unlives, respectively. Dru and I simply must be going. Bu-bye! So many people to maim, so little time."

"Let's go after them, and end this!" Spike said.

Buffy restrained him. "No, we can't. We have to give Tara and Oz a little time." 

* * *

Giles helped Oz and Tara set up the magic supplies. The hotel room was covered in candles. Tara set the Orb of Thesulah before her, along with the spell Fred had given her.

Tara began to chant, "Te implor Doamne, nu ignora accasta rugaminte . . ."

* * *

Willow dropped the girl she was drinking.

"What's the matter, Lamb?" Dru asked.

"Tara, she's doing a spell. We have to stop her."

* * *

"Lasa orbita sa fie vasual care-I va transporta sufletul la el! Este scris . . ." Tara continued. There was a crash outside. Willow was beating against the door.

"Let me in you bitch!" she yelled.

"Don't stop the spell," Giles told her. "The backlash could harm you. She can't get in unless we invite her."

"E-e-este scris, aceasta putere este—"

"Ignisincende!" The walls burst into flames. Willow, in her impatience to stop Tara, had simply set the place on fire.

Tara's concentration broke, and a wave of backlash hit her. She passed out.

"Tara!" Giles ran to her side. "Get the orb and the spell!" he told Oz. "We have to get out of here."

* * *

"It would appear I will be sleeping on your couch after all." Giles told Buffy. Oz and he had carried Tara all the way back to Buffy's, unconscious.

"Willow did this?" Buffy asked, shocked. "Spike and I saw her tonight. This never should have happened. I should have staked her when I had the chance."

"We shall see if Tara is recovered enough to redo the spell tomorrow. I would attempt it myself, but magic that powerful would undoubtedly go wrong if placed in my hands. If Willow attacks us again before we can get the spell to work, then we may well actually have to destroy her." Giles' tone was grim. "I hope it will not come to that."

* * *

Anya and Xander awoke on the morning of their big day to find their front lawn covered in bunnies. Willow must have had to break into several pet stores to find so many of the creatures. Scrawled across their front door were the words: 

"My wedding gift to you.

-Willow"

Anya extremely upset. "That bitch is going to pay!" she yelled, hiding behind Xander incase the bunnies decided to attack.

* * *

"Well, Princess, what shall we do?" Willow asked.

"End the world, bring Hell on earth. That'll be fun, won't it? We'll have a nice party, with balloons and cake."

"Nah, apocalypse is overdone." Willow said. "How do you feel about crashing a wedding?"

"The sunlight burns bright. It will melt you clean away, and then there will be no parties, no pretty decorations."

"Already thought of that," Willow replied, holding up a large blanket. "There's this trick I picked up from an old friend."

* * *

The wedding was beautiful. The church was decorated with flowers. Anya looked gorgeous, although scantily clad. Xander was handsome as ever in his tuxedo. Even Buffy, and Dawn managed to look cute, despite their scarily orange bridesmaid dresses. Giles had stepped into the vacant role of best man, after giving Anya away of course. Oz sat with Tara, taking care of her, along with Spike. The girl was still quite weak, but at least she was awake and functioning.

The happy couple had just said their "I do"s and were about to kiss when the door was kicked in by two blanket covered vampires.

"I object," Willow said, tossing the covering aside. "In fact I object so much that I'm going to kill you all." Willow grinned. "This is going to be fun."

"The spell," Tara told Oz, "we have to do it now."

"You're not strong enough!" Spike protested. "It'll kill you."

"I have to try."

"You take her somewhere safe and try the spell," Spike told Oz. "We'll hold them off."

"Good luck." Oz said.

"You too."

Oz took Tara by the hand.

"Let's go."

Buffy picked up her bag. In it was a crossbow and several stakes. She pulled out old reliable Mr. Pointy.

"You're out numbered Willow. Take your blanket, take your girlfriend and leave."

"See, that's where you're wrong. That's where you're very wrong. You might say I've got friends in low places." Willow laughed at her pun. "Oooh, that's a good one." She chanted, "Ortus bestia, ortus deincepsque vorare!"

The ground shook, as the floor split and a giant red snake-monster broke through the floor.

Buffy looked at the others. "This can't be good."

Tara and Oz headed outside. "We should be safe here." Oz said. "There's sunlight."

Tara pulled the candles from her bag. She'd been hoping to do the spell after the wedding, if she was feeling stronger. She should have known that Willow would never give her that sort of chance.

She tried to light them with her matches, but her hands shook too badly. Oz took the matches from her.

"Let me do it," he said.

She placed the orb between them. "I'm going to need your help."

Oz nodded. Tara took his hands.

Together they worked the spell, "Te implor Doamne, nu ignora accasta rugaminte!

* * *

Willow felt the Tara's magic swelling once more. "Kill them Dru," she said. "I have business to attend to."

Willow left the beast she had conjured and Dru to do their work. She could feel Tara was near. She approached closer and closer, until she realized that Tara was *outside*. "That's cheating," Willow muttered, "but I can bend the rules too. Nox!"

The sun was blocked out by a temporary night. It would not last long, Willow knew. But then again, it wouldn't need to. She came upon Tara and Oz, her two former lovers.

Oz let go of Tara's hands. "Finish the spell, I'll hold her off."

Tara kept her eyes closed, mustering her power. "Lasa orbita sa fie vasual care-I va transporta sufletul la el!" she chanted.

"Oz," Willow said, "Such a bad puppy, always running away. I think it's time you were put down once and for all."

He threw a punch at her and she blocked. She sent a small blast of power his way, knocking him off balance. Her self-made night wavered. She was running low on magic. Guess I'll have to do this the old fashioned way, she told herself.

"Este scris, aceasta putere este . . ."

Willow grabbed Oz by the throat, trying to strangle him. He struggled to wrench her hands away.

" . . . dreptul poporuil meu de a conduce . . ."

Oz pushed Willow with all his might, sending her sprawling to the floor. As he bent over her to retrieve her, she kicked him in the ribs, hard. He fell down, coughing up blood.

"Asa sa fie! Acum!"

Tara's eyes dilated, as she felt the spell complete. A warmth and newfound strength spread throughout her. The orb glowed bright. Willow, who was bending over Oz to lick the blood from his lips, suddenly stopped. Her eyes shimmered, and she changed instantly from malevolent to concerned.

"Oh my God, Oz!" she cried, taking him in her arms. Her kick had broken his ribs, sending shards straight into his heart. He was bleeding to death internally.

Oz smiled at her through the pain. "It's good to see you again, Willow."

"Don't die on me, please Oz," she pleaded. Tears streamed down her cheeks. What had she done? "I can't lose you again."

"You'll never lose me. I'm with you. Always." Oz coughed hard, sending up more blood. He was slipping fast and they both knew it.

"I love you," Willow said. She wiped the blood from his lips, and kissed him tenderly goodbye.

"I love you," Oz told her. He gave a shudder, and died.

"No, no, no!" Willow sobbed, refusing to let go of her first love. Tara put her arms around her.

"He's gone, Will."

Willow turned, falling into Tara's embrace.

"I'm so sorry, Tara. I'm so sorry."

Light started breaking through the artificial night.

"We have to get you inside Willow. The light it'll kill you." Tara brought her indoors.

"The beast!" Willow said, with newfound terror dawning upon her. "We have to stop it. It'll kill everyone."

"Can you send it back?" Tara asked.

"No, I've used too much magic. I could tell you the spell . . ."

Tara shook her head, "I used the last of my strength to return your soul."

"Then we'll have to fight it." Willow said, hurrying into the chapel.

Buffy and the others were fighting the Hell beast. It had been shot several times by the crossbow. The giant snake was also covered with wedding cake, which Anya had thrown at it. Xander was attacking it, by hitting it over the head with a large silver vase. Giles had recovered an ax from the "in case of emergency brake glass" box. Dawn was attempting to hold it at bay with a broom. And Spike and Dru were fighting to the death, struggling with a stake that was held between them. Each of the vampires was trying to aim it at the other's heart.

"Lamb," Dru said, noticing her lover had returned, "You're back."

"Yes," Willow agreed, "I am back." She turned to Buffy. "Go for the eyes. If you blind it, it becomes confused, and you can stab it through the heart."

Dru hissed. "You reek of a soul!"

"I told you," Willow said, "I'm back."

Spike took advantage of Dru's momentary distraction and drove the stake through her heart. She growled at him, and burst into ash. Buffy loaded the last arrow into her crossbow and aimed for the snake's eyes. She shot, successfully blinding the creature. Giles took the axe, and struck the monster, aiming for the heart.

"About six inches lower!" Willow told him.

He struck again, as Willow had advised. Warm blood spurted out of the snake as it moaned and collapsed, twitching horribly as it died.

Willow was attacked by an enormous group hug.

"Willow, you're you again," Buffy said. "It's so good to have you back."

Willow didn't respond.

"Where's Oz?" Giles asked.

"He's dead," Willow said, "I . . . before Tara finished the spell. By the time I realized, it was too late." Willow broke down crying again. The others hung their heads. The victories of the day didn't seem to matter. Oz would be sorely missed.

* * *

"How are you feeling?" Tara asked Willow, who was lying in bed. Willow had yet to recover from the horrible things she had done when without a soul.

"Sometimes I think I'm doing a bit better, and then I think of Oz or my mother . . . and I go back to feeling horrible again."

Tara stroked her hair, tenderly. "That wasn't you. That was the demon. You can't blame yourself for it all."

"But it was me, some part of me. And I chose that life. I didn't have to drink from Dru. I chose to do that. And even before that, with Dawn . . . I've hurt so many people I've loved. I hurt you. Why didn't you just kill me?"

"Because I couldn't. I love you," Tara gazed into Willow's eyes.

"We can never be together, not now. You know that. One moment of true happiness, and we're all doomed."

"I would rather have you incompletely than anyone else fully," Tara told her. "This will never be easy, I know. But I'm willing to try."

"I don't deserve it," Willow said.

"Maybe not, but I do." Tara kissed her. Willow wrapped her arms around her, feeling Tara's live heart beat against her own, which lay quiet and still.

The girls lay in each other's arms the whole night, just holding each other. No, it would never be easy.


	6. Scenes From A Mall

Scenes From A Mall

Description: A Buffy/Spike and Willow/Tara fic. Nothing plot advancing, just good old fashioned fun.

Disclaimer: The characters from Buffy are not mine, sadly. They belong to the good people at Fox, the WB, UPN and of course the God of all things Buffy, Joss Whedon.

Spoilers: For everything that has happened on Buffy far, through season six, episode Wrecked. Rated: R

The Setup: Takes place a few months after Till Death Do Us Part. Buffy and Spike are still going at it like bunnies. Willow is soul happy, on the wagon and as madly in love as ever with our girl Tara.

Inspiration: "Can you just imagine them going to the mall together?" Marti Noxon once asked in an interview, when speaking of the relationship between Buffy and Spike. Yes Marti, I sure can!

*****************************

Our two favorite vampire/human couples had gone out for a festive night of shopping at the Sunnydale Plaza.

Willow and Tara were walking arm in arm.

"I was thinking about trying a new look," Willow told her girlfriend. "Any ideas?"

"Well, as much as I hated evil you, the leather was a very nice," Tara admitted, a faint blush spreading through her cheeks.

"You vixen!" Willow exclaimed, planting a quick smooch on Tara's lips.

"Hey, hey, hey," Buffy reprimanded. "Watch the PDA's!"

"This from the girl who belongs in the Guinness Book of World Records highest rate of intercourse." Willow raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, we should write into them complaining that we're not mentioned," Spike agreed.

"Ah, but you forget that we are living in America: land of the homophobic," Buffy pointed out.

"Oh really? Homophobics be damned!" Willow declared, grabbing Tara, and dipping her. She planted a passionate kiss on her lips, making vigorous use of her tongue. The game of tonsil hockey earning her some startled expressions from other shoppers.

"Wow," Tara said, a huge grin plastered on her face. "Honey we need to get you outraged at social injustices more often."

"Don't stop on our account," Spike told them, a bit too interested in the girls' interactions for Buffy's tastes. The slayer gave her boyfriend a playful smack in the chest. He caught her hand and tenderly kissed her fingertips.

"Now who's getting into the PDA's?" Willow asked.

"We'll call it even," Buffy said with a smile. "So, Whadda you say we split up and meet back at the food court at 8:00?"

"W-works for us," Tara replied.

Buffy and Spike strolled along, him still holding fast onto her hand.

"I'm taking you to the Gap," Buffy announced.

"What? You must be joking. Wouldn't be caught dead in that place."

Buffy groaned at the bad pun.

"Sorry Luv, just a bit of vampire humor."

"We need to get you a little color in your wardrobe. All that black makes you look so washed out."

"Hello, I'm supposed to be washed out. Who ever heard of a Vamp with a tan?" he protested.

Buffy dragged him in the store. He looked disgusted. "I can't believe I'm in here."

Buffy held up a bright blue shirt up to him. "See, this brings out the color in your eyes."

"Can't see Luv, remember my issues with mirrors?"

"That would explain so much of your wardrobe," she joked. "Take my word for it. You'll look incredibly hot in this."

"I don't know," he teased. "If you like my clothes you might be less anxious to rip them off my tight little body."

"Trust me, no matter how nice the outfit that's never going to be a problem. Come on, why don't you try it on?"

"All right."

They went back to the dressing rooms. The teenager working there was distracted on the phone. Buffy had a great idea. She led him into one of the dressing rooms and shut the door.

"Ever had sex in a dressing room?" she asked him.

I love the way this girl thinks! he told himself.

"Er, no. Have you?"

"Yes, starting now." She began removing the black clothing she had been criticizing only moments before. He pinned her up against the wall, kissing her neck. She let out a small moan. He undid her jeans and was about to slide home when they heard a scream somewhere nearby within the mall.

Both of them gave a sigh and separated. "Is one weekend off of work would be too much to ask?" Buffy demanded of the unseen powers that be.

Spike struggled into his clothes. As Buffy turned to unlock the door, he shoved the blue shirt she liked into his jacket pocket.

"Put that back Spike. I know money is sometimes tight, but I've never been so poor as to have to scrimp on clothing."

He smiled and put the shirt down.

The two of them ran out of the store, looking for whoever had screamed. One of the girls working the cash register at Victoria's Secret was sobbing.

"What happened?" Buffy asked her. "We're you the one who screamed?"

"Yes," she said, looking horribly shaken. "This huge monster came in here and took the cash register. I've never seen anything like it."

Buffy gave her a sympathetic look. "You're new to Sunnydale, aren't you?"

The girl nodded. "Only been here two weeks."

"Can you describe the monster? Humanoid, not humanoid? Number of arms and legs? Scaly, slimy, any horns?"

"Tall, green and all globby."

"Globby?"

"Yeah, kinda like the Blob."

"You ever heard of any demons like that before, Spike? Spike?!"

Spike's attention was focused on the lingerie, which he reluctantly looked up from. He pointed to one particularly skimpy piece. "I was just thinking that you'd look amazing in this."

"We're talking shop right now Sweetie. You know, evil being afoot and all?" She stopped mid-lecture, batting her eyes at him playfully. "Really? Amazing?"

"Ok, still scared out of my wits," the girl interrupted.

"Right," Buffy said, trying to return her mind to work. "So Spike, know of any green slime monsters who have a thing for cash registers?"

"Not personally. Best consult the witches."

"Only one is a witch anymore, remember?"

"I reckoned it was better than saying 'best consult the lesbians,'" he pointed out.

"What, you can't just say Willow and Tara?"

"Nah, I prefer to use little nicknames for my chums."

Buffy shook her head.

"Look, we'll get to the bottom of this, ok?" she told the girl. "Hang in there, and if the creature comes back, scream again."

* * *

Willow and Tara were exploring Bath and Body.

"Well, just cuz we can't have sex, doesn't mean we can't take a bath together, right?" Willow asked.

Since they had gotten back together, they had found the no sex rule challenging. Still, no moment of true happiness did not mean that Willow could not experience plain old garden variety happiness, or extreme contentment. They still shared plentiful snuggles and smooches. Tara often told her she would prefer to spend the rest of her life snuggling with her darling red-head then making passionate love to anyone else.

"Oooh, baths are fun," Tara said. "No candles though." Willow had been living splendidly charm free, but there was no sense in tempting her with any objects that had magical implications. "Are we thinking bubbles?"

"Most definitely. Floral or fruity scent?"

"Actually I've always liked Vanilla Bean." Tara twisted off the cap and took a sniff. She offered it to Willow who did likewise.

"Yum, sweet like candy," Willow said.

"Sweet like you," Tara corrected.

The comment earned the blond another kiss.

Spike and Buffy came running in.

"Hello lovely ladies," Spike told them. "Afraid we got a bit of a crisis that requires Scooby attention."

"What's the nasty?" Willow asked.

"A green, blobby thing that steals cash registers," Buffy answered.

"Never heard of it. We should get to the magic box and hit the books," Willow said.

"Or we could check out the bookstore right across from us," Tara proposed.

"Do you think they'll have a demonology section at Barnes and Noble?" Buffy looked skeptical.

"Don't see why not," Spike replied. "It is Sunnydale after all."

They started looking through the books. There was indeed a small demonology section.

"I've found something guys," Tara announced, holding up a volumey text. "Ed."

"Ed who?" Willow asked.

"It's the name of the creature. An Ed demon. They are green and malleable, without any particular form. They have an extreme greed for money."

"I'll wager Anya has a touch of Ed in her," Spike mumbled. The other's gave him dirty looks. "What? The money part, not the oozing part."

"Great, a demon. Can I say how much I hate demons right now?" Buffy vented. When she saw Spike's hurt look she added, "Oh, but not you honey." She gave him a light peck on the lips. "So how do we stop this Ed?" Buffy wanted to know. "I'm guessing it doesn't involve a cross or wooden stake."

"Just a sec, still reading." Tara scanned down the page. "You're not going to believe this. 'Though invulnerable to most weapons, the Ed demon is deathly allergic to plaid."

"Plaid?" the others asked.

"Plaid."

"Ok, so go buy some flannel shirts, find the monster and attack it with them?" Buffy suggested.

Willow thought that sounded alright to her. "Up, up and away to Penny's!"

The four defenders of good raced up the escalator, and purchased several hideously plaid shirts.

Buffy made a face as she handed the teller her credit card. "Never thought I'd be spending money on something so tacky," she whined to the others. They collected their purchases and were off in search of Ed.

"Where do you wanna look first?" Spike asked.

His question was answered by loud screams, three stores behind them. The creature was in the process of holding up the Anime store, where children were paying exorbitant amounts of money for Pokemon trading cards.

"Stand back," Buffy ordered the crowd. "Here blobby, blobby . . ."

The Ed hissed. She wasn't sure exactly how, since it appeared to have no mouth. "How about a makeover?" She picked up her shopping bag and pulled out a shirt, in a hideous shade of orange. "This is gonna clash a bit. I didn't say it was a *good* makeover."

She flung the shirt on the Ed who screamed with pain and started sizzling. She pulled out the other shirts, attacking it with those as well. Ed gave a final shudder and dissolved into nothingness, leaving behind the cash register from Victoria's Secret and a small puddle of slime.

"And to that, all I can say is, 'Ick.'" Buffy wrinkled her nose at the mess.

The teller came and looked in on the mess. "I think I better go and get the mop. Is there anyway I can repay you?"

"Well," Buffy said, "how about some gift certificates?"

* * *

All in all it was a very successful shopping trip. Buffy talked Spike into the Blue shirt, Spike talked Buffy into the lingerie, Willow went home with a pair of tight leather pants, and Tara purchased large amounts of bubble bath.


End file.
